The Beautiful Ones
by AxelCat
Summary: 'A man is obsessed with Kurt and Blaine. After watching the kiss on Glee, he goes over the deep end. He just can't get enough of them. He needs to see more kisses, needs to see more intimate and tender moments. The only way? Through Darren and Chris.'
1. Prologue

_This is a prompt from the Glee Angst Meme. I found it several months ago, and hoped someone would fill it, but no. So, here we are: A prologue. Just for readers of Tangere Corpus and/or The Assignment, I'm still working on them, I just needed to get rid of this plot-bunny before it eats my soul._

_Warnings: Kidnapping; general creepiness; bad language; extreme angst; non-direct rape (two unwilling people being forced to have sex and perform sexual acts); torture; mental instability; and, a near-death experience.  
_

_Disclaimer: I have no connection to Glee, Fox, Ryan Murphy, Chris Colfer or Darren Criss. This story is being written for entertainment purposes only, and is not being used for any commercial purpose._

* * *

Kurt Hummel was beautiful. That much was obvious.

Blaine Anderson was beautiful. That, too, was obvious.

When a person takes two beautiful things and puts them together, what can you expect but a creature of even more beauty than the two original creators? Those were the thoughts running through one man's head as he saw lips meeting lips, and hands touching faces and throats as if they were made of the most fragile fabrics in the world.

Who didn't have those thoughts? Who didn't wish that the kiss hadn't been broken off? Who didn't wish that Kurt and Blaine's sweet romance had replaced the New Directions, and their silly bantering? It wasn't like that for him, though. It wasn't _just_that. It was more than that - it was the craving need, like a child trying to find its mother's breast, that this man felt filling him up.

Eyes that were nearly white went wide as he scrolled back through the kiss. That beautiful, perfect kiss. How could something so beautiful be allowed to end? How could people want to see stupid music, stupid teenagers, and their stupidity and jealousy, over the most perfect couple in the world?

He played over the scenes that revolved around these two boys time, and time again, but it wasn't enough. He needed to _see._ He needed to see their incomplete kiss, and _hear_the words they would murmur to each other as their hands, and eventually, their bodies became entwined.

It was the need that kept him going. Not the air, not food, not water, not intelligence or love. It was the need that kept him going - because those boys were everything. No matter how flawed they were as individuals, together, they were perfect, and they were beautiful.


	2. Chapter 1

_Warnings: Kidnapping; general creepiness; bad language; extreme angst; non-direct rape (two unwilling people being forced to have sex and perform sexual acts); torture; mental instability; and, a near-death experience.  
_

_Disclaimer: I have no connection to Glee, Fox, Ryan Murphy, Chris Colfer or Darren Criss. This story is being written for entertainment purposes only, and is not being used for any commercial purpose._

* * *

Everything seemed to be perfect. Chris' cold had disappeared, seemingly over-night, Kurt was meant to be going back to McKinley, his house was finally clean, Kurt and Blaine were together, he was booked for approximately one _hundred_ high-profile interviews, his book was going fabulously, as was _'Struck By Lightning,'_ and he had three amazing best friends waiting for him, along with one special friend, whose kisses were like magic and his lips like candy. Things were perfect.

Chris laughed a little, and glared at himself in the mirror. He was being silly, and being so silly and so hyper, so _very_ early in the morning, was _not_ good for production. He wrapped his towel around his waist, and stepped out into his bedroom, which, for the first time in months, was spotless. It seemed that his mother was right: A clean house made for a happier person.

His phone buzzed from his bedside table, and he raised an eyebrow. Who, apart from the cast of _Glee,_ was up at three a.m.? He still lifted the slim device, and tapped his pin-code in with a tentative smile. He had three new messages.

_'Hello, boys and girls. It's Ryan here - I fell into a fountain yesterday, and my phone's screen smashed. I thought I should send you all my number, so, here I am.'_ Chris frowned and chuckled a little. How uncharacteristic of his director - Ryan was the epitome of grace, and that was him talking. He flicked through to the next message, and allowed the towel to fall from his hips.

_'Chris, Darren, we've added a last-minute Kurt/Blaine scene to 'Born This Way.' Please be on the Cheerio's field at four a.m., sharp - it's quite short, so there will be plenty of time, I would hope, for the main filming at six.'_ Chris shook his head, and sighed. He had been looking forward to having a little time with Lea, Amber, Ashley, and Jenna, but apparently that wasn't possible.

_'Sure, Ryan. Why the sudden scene change?'_ he text back. He picked up his towel, and began to slide it up his dripping legs to his hips. He flicked through to his final message, and smiled as he saw that it was from Ashley.

_'Hey, lover-boy, can you meet Amber and I at nine? We miss you, with all your Warbling away! AND AND AND. I saw Original Song tonight, and it was amazing and hot. I'm steaming myself, boo, I really am. I did NOT think you and our favourite hobbit would make it work, but you did. You really did ;)'_

He blushed, and laughed, placing his phone back onto his pillow. _'Today is going to be fucking fantastic,_' he thought with a grin.

-

Darren woke up at three a.m. with a bounce, and a grin. He could hear Mark snoring from the next trailer, but he couldn't care less. He felt amazing - he was alive, what more could he ask for? He had so much more, though. Amazing friends, a brilliant job, a great house with an even better room-mate, a killer pay-check, he'd just gotten out of an unhealthy relationship, and had the most fun in the world. His life seemed perfect to him, even if it seemed stressful or unhealthy to those around him.

That was how he woke up eight days out of ten, and that on its own, for him, proved how amazing his life was. His phone buzzed on the pillow, and he checked it with that same goofy smile. _'Good morning, Princess Ariel. How are your thing-a-ma-bobs today? We have a scene in an hour, just in case you didn't get Ryan's text. Oh, and PLEASE brush your teeth more than once, just in case we have to kiss.'_

Darren kissed his screen with a grin. _'Chris Colfer, thou makest me laugh. I've brushed my teeth four times already, and I don't plan on eating anything more, so don't worry. My thing-a-ma-bobs are wonderful. How are yours?'_

_'Fabulous as ever. See you soon, Frodo. :)'_

-

Chris was heavily flushed as he jogged out onto the Cheerio's field of McKinley High - he had run from the entrance to the centre, just because he could. "I'M THE KING OF THE WORLD!" he yelled at the top of his lungs, thrusting his fists into the air, and beginning to giggle wildly. The day before had been brilliant - it had given him hope, yet again, that maybe everything would turn out alright. It was a euphoric feeling, knowing, somehow, that things were going to change. He would happily admit that he lived on thrills - the thrill of new stunts, of new vocal routines, of new people, of new life patterns. He loved the danger and the risks that life brought every single day.

He knew that life was going to change that day, and he thought it would be for the better. The last thought that ran through his head as he felt a piece of fabric cover his mouth, was that at least it wasn't going to be a usual day. Oh, what an _un_usual day it would turn out to be - so unusual, in fact, that it would be considered dangerous - so dangerous, in fact, that it wasn't just a change, anymore. It was a tragedy.

-

Darren was always late, he knew that, and he always prepared for it. He would leave thirty minutes early, just to make sure he got to his destination within five minutes of the absolute latest that he _could_ be there. This time, though, he arrived a whole _twenty_ minutes early. He knew something was wrong, at that point. Every time that he arrived somewhere early, his day was suddenly terrible, and he couldn't bare for what had started as such an amazing day, to end up as an 'early' day.

He was jumpy - it was still pitch black, the grass was wet, and the wind was freezing. He felt awful - he felt as if all of the things he had aimed for in life were about to become impossible, and that everyone he loved was about to disappear. He clutched his arms around his middle, and shook violently as he pulled out his phone. _'I feel like I'm about to be killed, so, yeah, guys, I love all of you. And just in case I don't die, don't hold this against me, or I'll never, ever hug you again._'

The last thing he felt before a cloth-covered hand smothered his face, was his phone vibrating violently in his palm before it fell to the ground.


	3. Chapter 2

Darren awoke to the crashing of a closing door. A heavy weight was on his chest - he tried to push the restricting being off of him, but his arms would not move. He tried to speak - he could vaguely feel the person on his chest breathing, perhaps they would wake up if he spoke - but no. His voice didn't come. He felt as drained as if he had just run three marathons in a row, then got broken up with by the love of his life, and got laryngitis at the same time. His body, mind, and heart were drained. "Hey," he whispered after a moment's silence. "Hey!" He tried to increase the volume of his voice, but it just hurt him further. He coughed shakily, his fingertips quivering over the person's back.

There was a returning cough into his chest. "Wh... wh-what..?" Chris' voice was even weaker than his own, and the coughs following his words were far, far harsher than the other man's.

"Chris?" Darren whispered. He flexed his hands, slowly, and felt soft fabric crinkling under his palm. "I th-think we... we... we got dr-dr-drugged." He began to cough again, and the man on his chest groaned out his protest.

"I can-can-can't believe th... this," Chris whispered. He began to stretch each of his muscles - he went one by one, and as he did, he felt a weight on his wrist. "Are you lying on-on my wrist?" he asked quietly. He refused to open his eyes - it would hurt too much. That didn't stop tears flowing, though.

"No. We're on a bed, I-I think... I'm gonna try push you off me, okay?"

"Fuck, fine wh-whatever." Darren let out a huffy breath, and began to squirm his legs out from underneath Chris'. "Everything hurts," the brunette boy whispered, and the elder of the two realized that he was shaking. His eyes fluttered open, and he was relieved to find no lights were around them.

"Fu-fuck, man, don't cry. Please do-don't cry. This is probably j-just Mark and Cory being asses, ya kn-know, 'pick on the short ones!'" he whispered. He slid out from underneath Chris, but immediately moved to cradle his co-star's body against his own.

"It's not, Dare. You know that," the brunette said quietly, only to break into another fit of coughs.

There was a loud _beep_ sound, then a voice seemed to surround them. "There's a bottle of water on the table next to you, boys. Blaine, won't you get it for him?" It wasn't a normal voice - it was computerized, and broken. Chris shuddered just as his companion did.

"Wh-who are you?" the older man asked, quiet as ever. He still reached out with quivering fingertips to grab for the water bottle. Chris sat up, and immediately slumped down against his companion's side. Rough fingers wrapped around his upper arms, and he was propped up against the wall.

"Oh, I'm just a fan. I think you two are very sweet together. Kurt, I am sorry that you reacted so badly to the medication. I made sure it didn't have any of your known allergies in it, so it's confusing me as to why you're so sore... Blaine, you need to be more gentle with your boyfriend. Doesn't he need a kiss for his pain? Kiss him better," the voice ordered from above, below, and to their sides.

"No," Darren said immediately. He uncapped the bottle of water, and parted Chris' lips with a fingertip to help him drink.

There was a guttural sound from the computerized voice. "So beautiful," it stated. "Blaine, I want you to look at Kurt's wrist. Let him drink, but look at his wrist."

"The name's 'Darren,'" the young actor protested, but he did indeed glance down at Chris' wrist. There was a thick black piece of metal covering his skin, and there was a small blue light flashing in its centre.

"There is an identical of that cuff on your left wrist, Blaine." He glanced down at his own, and indeed, there was a black bracelet there. His light was red, though. "That's a pulse reader, Blaine. Red is healthy, blue is unstable, purple is near-fatal, and green is fatal."

Darren stroked circles into his friend's throat, helping him swallow the water. He was shaking with fear, anger, and absolute _loathing_. How could someone be so very cruel? "Now, Blaine, you lied to me a few moments ago. You retorted unfairly. You said 'The name's 'Darren.'' And before that, you disobeyed and said you wouldn't kiss your boyfriend. Now, we both know that your name is really _Blaine_. You don't know what happens when I speak a certain word, do you? What happens to those bracelets. Tell me, what do you think happens, beautiful Blaine?"

Darren shook his head and closed his eyes, just trying to think of something. "Umm... do they tighten?" he asked. Chris was still drinking, and his eyes were flooded with tears.

"They tighten, and then a very weak electric current is sent into them, and into your wrist. Now, I love you both very dearly, and I think you two will come to love me, too, but if you ever disobey, I will send a current into your boyfriend's bracelet. It won't harm you, but it will hurt for a long time. So, Kurt, if you disobey me, you'll be hurting Blaine, and Blaine, if you disobey, Kurt will be hurt. You don't want that, do you?"

"N-no," Chris said as he pushed the bottle away. "Drink some yourself," he ordered Darren with wide eyes.

"Good boy, Kurt, looking after your boyfriend like that. I think you and I will be very close. How are you feeling?"

"Very tired. Very sore. I do-don't know where I am or why I'm here. I'm scared," Chris said, quiet as could be. He flexed his fingers and felt for the blankets below him. He pulled the soft fabric up, and up, and up, until it covered his shoulders. "I'm very scared, but I'm also agitated," he admitted.

"And how do you feel, Blaine?"

"I'm hurting all over. I feel... I feel emotionally wrecked. I'm scared, and I'm angry th-that I have no idea where I am or why I'm here."

"How about you cuddle up to Kurt here, hmm? He looks cold. Now, you're both scared and hurting, which I understand. The pain is going to wear off when you get back to sleep, and there is no reason for you to be scared. All that you need to do in your stay here is act as you usually would with each other - call it a holiday. All food and drink will be provided, all your clothing... all I ask is that you stay physically, emotionally and verbally connected whenever you can be. That doesn't sound too bad, does it, boys?"

Darren slid underneath the blankets without hesitation, and shivered a little as he felt how cold his friend was. He pushed their sides flush together, and wrapped one arms around Chris' waist. The younger man was still crying, but he was no longer shaking. He seemed to be frozen. Chris' arms curled around him very slowly.

"That doesn't sound too bad, does it?" the voice repeated. It was a threat, even through that computerized tone.

"No," the brunette-haired man said quietly. "S-sir... I'm really cold, and I'm really tired. Is there any way to increase the heat in here?"

"How about you get under the blankets with Blaine, and I'll turn on the heating, okay? You can sleep whenever you want to. We'll talk some more when you're both awake."

Darren pulled the blankets up over their heads, his hold on Chris only tightening. "I'm scared," he whispered after a few moments of silence.

"I know," the younger man whispered back. "I am, too. Fucking... fucking terrified."

"We need to get the fuck out of here."

"Yes, I know. I know, I know, I know, I know..!" Darren shushed him with a calloused finger to his lips. "I don't know what to do," he whispered after a minute of silence.

"We should get some more sleep, and try to talk to this guy when we wake up," the elder replied. Chris nodded shakily and rested his head in the crook of Darren's shoulder.

"He's going to make us... do stuff, isn't he? Kissing and stuff?"

"Yeah. But we're okay with that, right? It's better than... selling us on the black market," Darren joked, only to receive a look of horror from his companion. "I'm joking, I'm joking... just get some sleep, Chris."

"'Kay," the brunette whispered.


	4. Chapter 3

"Darren?" Chris whispered. He shook his friend, gentle at first, but his efforts were useless, as the man woke with a yell.

"Fucking hell! What the _fuck_was that?" he demanded to know as he cradled his right arm against his chest.

_"Kurt, you could have hurt your boyfriend just then. I was so close to hurting _you_ instead, but then I remembered that it would hurt more if you knew you had hurt your baby-boy,"_ that electric voice told them. Even through the computer, the tone used to scold a child was apparent. _"What do you say?"_

"I-I'm so sorry, Blaine, I didn't mean to hurt you," Chris whispered. He made a show of caressing his friend's cheek with his left hand.

'Blaine' reached up to take his hand away, and kissed his fingertips. "It's fine, Kurt." He smiled a little, and his stomach grumbled loudly.

The voice laughed through the machine, and a buzz set through the room. _"There's a kitchen next door. Fully stocked. Kurt, go make Blaine and yourself something, like a good little boyfriend," _it ordered.

Chris' lower lip quivered. He was terrified. Whoever their catcher was knew their stuff - he felt like throwing himself to the ground and begging for Darren's forgiveness, just because of the small burst of energy sent through his arm. He was scared. He couldn't do anything wrong, or he would hurt _Darren? _Not even himself, but his best friend? That was far, far more terrifying than the idea of damaging himself. He held back his tears and nodded with a gentle kiss to his friend's cheek.

As Chris walked away on shaking legs, Darren propped himself up on the pillows to examine their surroundings. They were seated in what looked like a normal bedroom - an inbuilt closet, a bed-side table on each side of him, paintings and photographs on the walls, a boom-box resting on the top of an additional counter, a full-length mirror... and the bed. The bed was huge, and covered in soft pillows. The sheets were black, and the pillows midnight blue. _'To bring out Chris' colouring,'_Darren thought with a bite to his lower lip. Unlike Chris, he worked well under pressure. He looked to each of the walls - no windows, no cracks - just baby blue paint.

"Sir?" he asked quietly.

_"Yes, Blaine?"_the voice replied. There was a clattering from the kitchen, and Darren smiled a bit - clumsy old Chris.

"May I ask why we're here?"

There was a noise that sounded like a hum. _"Well... the world needs to see how beautiful you two are together,"_ he replied simply. _"You two represent something special. So many special things, really. And I wanted to share that with the world, while still giving you two... a holiday, of sorts."_

"Boston," Darren whispered. They were in Boston. Or, their kidnapper was from Boston.

_"What was that?"_the voice asked sharply.

"Nothing. Just thinking I should go help Kurt with breakfast," the dark-toned young man lied with a small smile to nothing in particular.

_"Good idea, Blaine. He must be lonely, all by himself. Anyway, it must be a dream of yours, a dapper boy like you, to have a house-husband, hmm?"_

Darren shuddered internally at the thought. Blaine, however, smiled shyly and slid out of the bed. He found himself in dark blue jeans and a modest red cardigan. He stretched carefully, but hurried to join his 'boyfriend' in the kitchen. "Hey, beautiful," he said playfully. he wrapped his arms around Chris' waist from behind and leaned forward a little to whisper in his ear, "Let's just play along for now. We don't want to get hurt."

_Kurt _nodded gracefully, shivered happily, and continued to stir the eggs in the frying pan. "Hi, handsome," he retorted. He twined their left hands together, and Darren felt him shivering. "How do you like your eggs? I was just making these because I know I can do it well," he said with a shaking giggle.

"Anything goes, honey. Really, if it's food, I don't care." Darren began to nuzzle into his neck, all the while whispering, "We're going to be okay, Chris. We've kissed before, we've had hands up each other's shirts before. This is nothing. Soon he'll get bored and let us go and we'll get him arrested for doing this to us. But for now, just keep calm and let the idiot of a bum that is me and cuddle you. Deal?"

Chris nodded again, still stirring at the eggs. "Get some plates out for us, Blaine?" he asked with a sweet, sweet smile. "The toast is almost done, and I cut up some fruit, so it's a well-rounded breakfast."

"And I couldn't expect any less," the _teenager_ told his _boyfriend _with a wink and a playful pat to his ass.

"_Blaine!_" Kurt protested with a bright, hot blush. "Get the plates," he ordered with a pout.

The two finished their breakfast with smiles on their faces. Darren had insisted on feeding his friend for their kidnapper's approval, so they were both giddy and laughing at the failed attempts of getting food into _mouths._

_"Kurt, I'd like you to take a shower. And Blaine, how about you wash up, and make the bed, hmm?" _the voice said, after a long, warm silence between the two boys.

"Yes, sir," they said together.

_"Stop responding. Just do as you're told,"_he ordered them. It was a threat.

_Kurt_ leaned over the table to kiss _Blaine's _cheek. "I'm gonna go shower, alright?" he asked with a sweet grin.

"Okay." The elder of the two brushed their lips together, and patted Kurt's arm to send him off.

"Oh, and honey, would you mind doing the dishes?" the younger called over his shoulder as he stumbled into the third room of their 'home.'

"Sure, baby!"

Darren was leaned over the bed, tucking the edge of a white sheet into the headboard. He was humming quietly, when the door from the bathroom opened, revealing a towel-clad Chris. _"Oh good god. Stare at him, adore him, Blaine,"_the voice ordered, and Chris felt a ripple of disgust shoot through him. He didn't want to be a piece of eye-candy for a random stranger, and for that matter, not for anyone.

Darren dropped the sheets and turned to his 'boyfriend,' grinning, only for his jaw to drop, and colour to spread over his cheeks. "O-oh, um."

"Blaine!" the other man cried. He pulled his towel up a little in a futile attempt to cover himself, but it didn't do much. _Blaine_on the other hand, was stuck between staring and turning away.

_"Kiss. End up on the bed. Keep the towel on."_

They both felt like screaming, but Darren still stood up a little taller and looked down at his shuffling feet. "You... you're really beautiful. Like... I mean..."

"Blaine," Kurt said shyly, and Blaine's head snapped up to look at him. He surged forward to press their lips together, and Blaine gasped a little, his hands coming to rest on his boyfriend's waist. Darren was trying to hold Chris' towel onto him while still pulling him closer. Chris laced his fingers through his friend's hair as he sucked lightly on his lower lip - Darren moaned quietly and pulled him down onto the bed, into his lap. "Oh god," the younger man whispered, as Darren's hands tied into his hair. He slid forward, and pulled his partner down by his hair so they were laying half-on, half-off the bed. He pulled away a little to look into his eyes, and _Blaine _pressed a very gentle kiss to his forehead before sliding down to press his lips to his boyfriend's throat. He alternated in between gentle kisses and light sucks to a spot underneath his ear, drawing breathy moans from him.

"Blaine," Kurt said quietly as he felt teeth slide over his skin. "We need to cool off," he whispered shyly.

Darren nodded into his throat and cupped his friend's cheek in his hand to place a light kiss to his lips. "Okay," he whispered back.

It took them half an hour to move from that position, hands in each other's hair and on their backs. Even then they stayed close. Later, if you asked them, they would tell you it was because they didn't feel violated with each other. It was because they were safe, and familiar in each others' arms.


	5. Chapter 4

The day Darren and Chris disappeared was... a busy one, to say the least. Lea, Ashleigh, Amber and the rest of the crew only really _noticed_ that the two were gone. It was six fifteen a.m., and the two boys just... never showed. It was uncommon for Darren to be more than three minutes late, and Chris being late? Unheard of.

Fifteen minutes later, Ryan was storming down to the set, his hands on his hips and a panicked type of scowl on his face. "When was the last time any of you heard from either of them?" He almost _yelled_ his words, and the whole crew took a step back. It was just as unheard of for Ryan to raise his voice above a 'clear announcement' type of voice.

There were mumbles of 'yesterday' or 'about one a.m.' but that didn't stop Ryan's panicked look from growing. "One of you call them. My phone went missing yesterday when I fell into a fountain, and my new one isn't here yet," he added in way of explanation.

Lea went to call Chris, and Harry, Darren. Lea put her phone on speaker as soon as there was a response.

_"Who is this?"_ an electronic voice buzzed out.

"This is Lea Michelle. Who the hell is this and where is Chris?"

There was a long pause. _"You stay away from my boys, or you will regret it."_ Harry drew his phone away from his ear, shaking, and looked to Lea, who shook her head.

"Okay," Ryan whispered. "Guys, I'm going to get Ian in. He's going to write a new storyline in which Kurt and Blaine get into a car-crash, which we're going to film with their doubles. So, all of you, get back to work, while I go call the police, and report a kidnapping. ANDREW!" A small red-headed man trotted up behind him with a pad of paper in his hands. "Publicists: They disappeared at the same time, imply an elope. Just... call Mia Swier, call that girl Meredith, call Lauren, call Joey and the StarKids and tell them the truth. That Darren and Chris are missing and it's looking like they've been kidnapped."

There were a few quiet gasps, but Ryan ignored them, as he pulled his phone out and called Ian. "Code green," he said with a sarcastic smile. There was a blocked sound of laughter, which died down as Ryan stayed quiet.

"Who?" Ian asked.

"Darren and Chris."

_"Holy _fuck."

* * *

"Hannah, sh for a second, love. Yes?"

"Is this Misses Karyn Colfer?"

"Yes, it is. Who is this?"

"This is Andrew Harving. I work for Ryan Murphy, with your son."

"What happened? Is something wrong? Is Chris hurt, or-?"

"Misses Colfer, please. This is... this is very difficult. First of all you have to know that FOX, and Ryan's associates, and the police are doing all that they can for your son, and we won't stop at anything until we get him back, bu-"

"Get him back? What's wrong with him, where has he gone?"

"Karyn..." There was a deep sigh. "Yesterday morning, he and another actor, Darren Criss, went missing. We tried calling them, and every time, on both their numbers, we got the same message. We got 'Stay away from my boys.' They've been... they've been kidnapped Misses Colfer." There was a silence. "Misses Colfer? Misses Colfer..?"

"Yes. Yes, I'm sorry. I just... my boy. I... are there any leads? Can you help him- them?"

"We have nothing yet, I'm sorry. We'll let you know if we find _anything_, though, I swear."

"Th-thank you. Thank you for telling me. I... I need to go find my husband and-and-and tell him."

"Of course, Misses Colfer. I'm so, so sorry."

"Thank you."

* * *

"He_llo_, this is Chuck speaking!"

"Hello, Mister Criss, this is Andrew Harving. I work with your brother."

"Oh. Is he okay? Did he pull a Chris Colfer and break something getting tossed into a dumpster?"

"Sort of. Mister Criss, I suggest you sit down, if you aren't already. I have some... rather horrific news."

"What is it? Is he alright?"

"That's just the problem: We don't know. Mister Criss... yesterday your brother and Chris Colfer disappeared. There's no trace of them, anywhere, and whenever we try to call them we're just told to stay away from them both by a computerized voice."

"Are you sure they didn't just elope? Or something? Oh fuck, I mean, Darren's made out with guy's before, it wouldn't surprise me if they'd just gone to New York for a few days-"

"We're sure that it's not a choice. We think... well, closer to we know, that they have been kidnapped. And they're in danger."

A choking sound came through the phone. "Oh god. Oh god... um. Are people on it? Police? Detectives?"

"Of course. Everyone is looking for your little brother, Mister Criss. Just so you know, the press releases are going to imply an eloping, but we're still going to get the public looking out for them. I'm... I am so sorry, Mister Criss."

"Yeah. Yeah, thank you. I... god. Do our parents know?"

"Not yet, Mister Criss. They're next on my list, along with Chris' parents."

"Right. Right, good. Can... will you tell me if..? If anything's found? I don't... I can't... I don't want to see my little brother's body being found on the T.V. I want to know from the first source. I can't hear the rumours, just, please-"

"Of course, Mister Criss. I am so, so sorry for having to tell you this."

"No, no, man, it's good. Thank you... thank you for telling me. I'm just... I've gotta go talk to my parents. They'd rather hear it from me."

"Of course, Mister Criss. I'm really sorry, you know. your brother is an amazing person."

"I know that. Of course, I know that."

* * *

It was March the twenty-first when the first video was released. It started out innocently enough: A supposed Glee fan, under the name of 'Kurt15Blaine' posted a video on YouTube. The cover image was of Kurt Hummel with his head rested on Blaine's shoulder, and the title of the video was 'Klaine: The Kiss You've Never Seen.' It started with one young girl. She was only fourteen, but she held a high-status on several websites. She was one of the first to see the video, and the first to show it to the entire world. In six hours, it had gone viral, universally.

"Ryan! Ryan, you have to see this!" Andrew screeched from his spot at his desk. "I've found them! I've found Darren and Chris!"

It took a full two seconds for Ryan to make his way over to his assistant's desk, and another ten for him to get words out. "Wh-what? Where? What have you found?"

"Just watch," the young man ordered, opening a YouTube clip to full screen. It wasn't an immature camera-hand. Not at all. The clip started out with Chris sitting at a black-wood table, gems and miniature-coffin in hand. The set was nowhere near perfect. It was just a pale yellow room that happened to hold Kurt Hummel painting a coffin, and hence, it was nothing special. Ryan didn't care about that, though. What he cared about was the small ring of black around his actor's wrist. It was barely visible, but visible it was, as were the dark rings under his eyes, as was the bruising at the top of his hand, and as was the slightly pained expression that he wore.

"What's that?" Darren asked from the door, arms crossed over his chest and a small smile on his lips. He was in the same condition as Chris, although to a lesser extent. His hair was gelled back, and his Dalton uniform was... a little shakily fitted, but perfect. It _looked_ like a legitimate uniform.

The brunette boy looked up with a happy look, but a light smile. "I'm decorating Pavarotti's casket."

Darren paced his way towards him, fun-loving smile on his pink lips. "Well finish up. I have the perfect song for our number, and we should practice."

"Do tell!" Kurt cried with his sweetest of sweet smiles.

"'Candles,' by Hey Monday," Blaine admitted with a smile.

"I'm impressed: You're usually so 'Top Fourty,'" Kurt teased in response. The elder teen sat down at that, slightly tense, and a little on-edge.

Blaine glanced to his lips, to his hands, to his exposed throat - everywhere was where his eyes roamed. "Well... I just wanted something a little more... emotional." Kurt's eyes seemed to dull a little, but he still looked at his friend in that curious way of his.

"Why did you pick _me_ to sing that song with?" he asked at last.

"Kurt there is a moment... when you say to yourself 'Oh! There you are. I've been looking for you forever!'" Blaine said slowly, taking deep breaths and trying to contain himself. "Watching you do 'Blackbird' this week... that was the moment for me. About you. You move me, Kurt, and... this duet would just be an excuse to spend... more time with you," he admitted. His voice had faded away into a murmur, and Kurt looked ready to cry.

Hesitant, Blaine stood up, only to lean down and press their lips together. The younger man was frozen for a few moments, then he was kissing back with a passion. His hand came to his partner's cheek, just as his face was cupped in adoring hands. The sounds of their tongue slipping together was _very_ apparent, Ryan noted.

He bit his lip and leaned against the wall as the two continued kissing. "We... we should practice," Blaine told Kurt with a blush painting his cheeks.

"I thought we were," was the simple retort. Their lips met once more, but this time, it was urgent. Unlike on the show, however, it did not cut to pale fingers on a keyboard, no, instead it continued. The sound of tongues tangling continued, and the camera spun, showing the two from every possible angle. Blaine's fingers came to rest on his boyfriend's hips, and Kurt's hands twisted into the curls at the base of his head.

Soon enough, blazers and ties were gone, and top buttons were undone. Kurt's hands came to rest upon his own shoulders, and carefully, he slid the sleeve of his shirt down to reveal his right shoulder. Blaine ogled, just a little, and pressed his lips to the skin before him. "I love you," he whispered into the crook of his partner's neck. "Be my boyfriend?"

"Yes," Kurt whispered. He pressed another shy kiss to his boyfriend's lips, and the clip faded into blackness.

Ryan took in a very deep breath, and held it. "Have you-?"

"Yes. I sent it to all of the police, and the detectives, and I sent out an email to the family and friends of them to let them know we might have a lead."

"Okay. Okay, good. There's not much I can do, is there?"

"No, sir."

"Well then... order me a late? Double sugar and cream. I need to make some phone-calls."

"Yes, sir."


	6. Chapter 5

They only knew it had been seven days from the pocket-watch in Darren's Dalton blazer. Seven days in which they were in character, all the time, with sleep as their only relief. It took seven days for Darren to break, and seven days for Chris to figure out the truth: They were stuck there, and it wasn't going to change any time soon.

It started straight away that morning. Two gentle kisses were exchanged, and the elder of the two stumbled off into the bathroom to shower, while the younger disappeared into the kitchen to make them breakfast and, more importantly, coffee. "Honey, do you want cream?" Kurt cried into the next room.

There was no response.

"Honey..?" he called. Chris dropped his cup with a slightly panicked feeling in his chest. "Don't ignore me, silly, I don't mind if you want cream. I just won't touch, it, you know that," he said, gentle as could be, as he pushed the door to the bathroom open. "Blainey?"

Darren was sobbing over the sink, tears streaming down his cheeks and a small amount of blood trickling from his cheek. A razor-blade was gripped tightly in his hand, and was cutting through his skin. "Da-! Blaine!" Kurt placed a hand over his mouth and rushed to his partner's side, taking the blade from his tightly clenched fist and cupping his hand in his palms. "What happened, Blaine? Why are you crying? Come on, be strong for me, here, love. Just look up. Deep breaths. Breathe like you're breathing through a straw, come on, it'll calm you down," he ordered, trying to remain calm himself.

Darren looked up into his eyes, his own bloodshot and tired. The cut on his cheek continued to ooze blood, and Chris yanked a tissue from its box to dab the wound. "You cut yourself shaving?" he asked curiously, and Darren nodded shakily. He offered his arms to his companion, almost begging to be held. Chris pressed another tissue into his palm, and ordered him to clench his fist on it, but still took the man into his arms. He rubbed circles into his barely-clothed skin and whispered comforting words against his ear. "What happened? Why are you crying?" he asked after a few minutes.

"I dunno," _Blaine_ replied with a laugh and a shake of his head. "Just... everything got a bit overwhelming." His words were contradicted by a harsh sob.

"Sit down, silly. I'll get some bandages for your hand, and we'll finish shaving you, alright? Then we can talk some more."

"Okay."

Chris ended up seated in Darren's lap, very carefully running the razor-blade up the reverse pattern of his hair. "You don't shave very well," he commented with a fond smile. "Make sure to use a lot of lather, else you will cut yourself. Okay?"

"Okay." Darren hummed a little as his friend tended to him, smiling the whole while. "Sorry if I freaked you out back there. I don't know what came over me."

"It's fine, Blaine." Kurt kissed his forehead and put the razor to the side. "What else am I here for? really... you've... comforted me so many times, I should repay the favour. And I don't like seeing you cry. Not like you were." He pressed his lips to his boyfriend's very gently. "Your blood scares me," he admitted.

"I'm sorry..."

"Don't be, don't be! I'm sorry I have such a weak stomach around blood."

Blaine hummed a little. "You handled it really well. Like a father and a child," he teased with a slightly expecting smile. Kurt's lips parted, and he looked positively shocked.

"Blaine... I'm not... I'm not ready for that. Not now. Maybe in... three years. Two even. But not now." He kissed him with a smile and a comforting squeeze to his shoulder. "I'm making pancakes. Come join me?"

"Yeah. Just a second." They shared another sweet kiss, this time with a slight exchange of tongues. "I'll be right out."

* * *

"_Kurt, you're not to eat any of that junk. No pancakes, no cream, no sugar. There's fruit, vegetables, and wholemeal bread in the fridge. Don't eat things like that - it's unlike you."_

Chris' shoulders slumped.

* * *

_"Blaine, you're not to wear something so loose. It's unflattering, at best."_

Darren sighed and took one of Chris' button-downs from the wardrobe.

* * *

_"Shoulders straight."_

Chris tightened his posture and glared down at his hands, as _Blaine_ serenaded _Kurt_ in a darkened room.

* * *

_"Put your hands on his hips, Blaine."_

Darren snapped. "WHO THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU ARE? We are _people_, whether you like it or not, we are people, and we have thoughts, and feelings, and wants and needs, too, and you have no right to-"

Chris let out a sharp cry, and he would have fallen, if not for the other man's hands on his waist. "HOW DARE YOU HURT HIM? I'M THE ONE SCREAMING AT YOU! IF YOU DARE CONTINUE DOING THIS, I-" The brunette let out another cry, and began to cry tears of pain. "SWEAR THAT AS SOON AS WE GET OUT OF HERE, I'M GOING TO KILL YOU FOR DOING THIS TO US!"

"Darren-" A sharp bolt of energy ran through the both of them. "-STOP!" Chris pleaded with wide, wet eyes.

"I FUCKING HATE YOU!" Both of them were blasted with what felt like purest agony, and they fell to the wooden floor, Darren on top of Chris, who was seemingly unconscious. "Oh fuck. Fuck fuck fuck fuck." Darren sat up with a wince next to his partner and lifted his arm to check his wrist-band. It glowed a lilac-ish colour. More blue than purple, but still, purple. "Four blasts is near-fatal," the man whispered under his breath, as he struggled to lift Chris up into his arms. He staggered over to the bedroom, kicking the door open to lay his friend down on the bed. He opened Chris' mouth to make sure his tongue was still in its proper place. He stumbled into the bathroom to grab the hair-gel he had been forced to use, and sniffed it. He nodded. It _stunk_. He ran back out to Chris to shove the bottle under his nose. "Come on, Chris, wake up. Please, please, wake up..." He flinched, expecting to get another shock, but there was no response... from anyone. "Chris, _please._ Please, man, wake up. I can't do this without you, you know that. We can't get through this whole mess without one-another, so you have to wake up, and you have to wake up now. Before... before anything happens. Fuck, man, you didn't exactly teach me how to shave, but you did teach me how to do it without cutting myself. Just like you taught me how to get through in the business of 'Glee' without you know, killing myself. Please, Chris, wake up..."

"Witty come-back not found," the brunette rasped out, "Get me some water, you prick."

"Chris, you're-"

"_Water._"

Darren's eyes went wide, but he still ran off with a terrified, anxious smile on his face. "H-here," he whispered as he passed Chris the glass. "I'm so glad you-"

"Save it," the brunette ordered before taking a long drink from the glass.

"Wh-what?"

"I said 'stop,' and you didn't," Chris whispered shakily. "If we're ever going to get out of here, you need to listen to me, because you almost killed me back there. Not figuratively, Darren, literally. So just... save it."

The older man went wide eyed, and yet again, looked to be on the verge of tears.


	7. Chapter 6

Chris awoke to the smell of eggs, cheese and mushrooms, accompanied by the sweetest scent: coffee. "Hey," was murmured against the back of his hand. "It's almost nine, sleeping beauty." He smiled drowsily and turned over onto his side, cuddling into his blankets and giggling a little as warm lips pressed to his fingertips.

'Wait a second,' he thought. He turned over with that same drowsy smile, but this time, he opened his eyes. It really was Darren giving him tat nervous smile. It wasn't a 'Blaine' face - the eyes were too softened, yet too narrow, and his mouth wasn't set. It was Darren kissing the inside of his wrist, with a shy smile on his lips, and a freshly baked plate of food beside him. "M-morning," Chris whispered, smile fading.

"Morning, sweetheart." _Blaine_ leaned up from his kneeling position on the floor, and pressed a chaste kiss to his lips. "I made you breakfast. Happy one month..." he murmured, still with his lips drifting over his partner's skin. Kurt smiled a little and kissed his forehead.

"Thank you, Blainey. You're sweet." Chris hit himself internally - he wasn't in character. He felt hung over from the day before, and to be honest, he was still angry at Darren. "I really shouldn't eat cheese, though..."

"Just this once can't hurt, Kurt. Please? I know omelets are your favourite..."

Chris bit his lower lip and looked to the metal on his wrist. It _couldn't_ hurt - not when _Blaine_ had gone out of his way to do something so sweet. Kurt dissolved into a smiling mess and nodded. "You're the cheesiest, sweetest thing in the world. Oh, Blaine... what are we going to do with you?"

"Love me unconditionally and... yeah, love me unconditionally?" They shared another kiss, Kurt pulling his boyfriend up and into his lap.

"Let's eat," he said playfully.

* * *

It took them fourty-five minutes to finish their breakfast and scattered conversation, and another fifteen to separate their lips and tangled hands. _"Isn't it good to know you're being appreciated, boys?"_ the voice questioned them another five minutes later. _"People love you. All over the world, people are praising your relationship."_

"It's... good to know?" Darren offered, still tucked into Chris' lap, head settled under his chin. The brunette's arms were around his waist, and he was smiling. Tense, but smiling.

_"Just think of all the people watching you. Every moment of every day. They're inspired by your relationship. You should hear what they say about you."_

"Th-this is being live-streamed?" Chris asked with widened eyes. "People are watching us now?"

_"Of course not NOW. But most of the time. It's quite sweet how devoted they are to you, you know. There are a few people who think that I am _holding you hostage_ against your will. Now, what would you like to say to those people?"_

"That they're absolutely right, and tha-that you need to be _locked up!_" Darren let out a yell, and began to shake and shudder in his companion's lap. "Oh god, D- Bee, I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to-"

"It's fine," _Blaine_ whispered with a shaking smile. He looked pale as a ghost.

_"Kiss him better, Kurt,_" the voice ordered. The brunette pressed his lips to the darker man's, shaking almost as much as him. _"Good boy. Now, I want the two of you to get straightened out - shower, dress if you must, drink some more coffee - and go into the black room."_ Chris shuddered. The black room was their 'staged' scene room. Everything from 'Never Been Kissed' to 'Original Song' had been filmed there. _"And tell everyone how happy you are here, and how safe you feel together. You have two hours."_

"Y-yes, sir," Darren whispered. There was a beeping sound, and he fell, limbless, back against Chris, who let out a disgruntled noise. "Fuck this shit," he breathed, too quietly to be heard. "Chris, I'm... fuck."

"What's wrong?" Chris inquired, making a show of nuzzling his nose into his companion's hair. "What is it, honey?" he asked more gently. "Tell me."

"I'm getting really depressed again," the elder of the two whispered. "I don't know what to do."

Chris bracelet tightened, and he sucked in a deep breath. "Okay. Okay. We can... we can work something out, honey. We're usually so me-oriented, but we can change that. We'll be all about you for now, Blainey. We can do what you want, and talk about your things instead of me- oh god, I've been so selfish," Kurt blurted out.

"No, no, baby, you haven't been," Blaine returned, holding his partner close. "It's me, I think. I'm just... sick of me." He let out a pained, choking laugh, and _Chris_ nodded. He understood in full. He could _translate_ their conversation.

_'I'm getting depressed, and I'm absolutely terrified. I don't know what we can do, please tell me you have a plan.'_

_'We'll work something out - he can't get away with this, because Ryan and our parents and Chuck and Hannah and everyone _knows_.'_

_'Well I can't help but think that that's not the case. You heard what he said - people are eating it up. Maybe they think it's all us, all innocent and not a problem. I KNOW I'm being pessimistic, but...'_

"We've got each other," Chris murmured against his hair. "We'll figure something out, and we'll be okay. _You'll_ be okay."

"I love you," Blaine and Darren said together. Blaine was talking to his boyfriend, thanking him for the companionship and kindness granted, but Darren... Darren was thanking his friend, and making sure he knew that he really was not alone.

* * *

"Hi! I'm Blaine Anderson, and this is my boyfriend-"

"Kurt Hummel. We've been together for one month today... we think. You see-"

"We're on holidays, basically." Blaine laughed a little. "An unlimited holiday - there aren't any timing devices around, as they just add pressure to the situation."

"We got sent off by our parents for a while - they're sick of us, methinks."

"Who could get sick of you, sweetheart?"

"Oh shush, you," Kurt ordered with a smile. He grasped the man's hand in both of his own, however. "Anyway, we're going to be away for a while longer... we've been sick and tired of all the pressures of school and social life, so we've been granted an infinite holiday, if we want it to be."

"So, for all of you worried about us: Don't be. We're just fine, and we'll be back someday. Just not necessarily _soon._ So, all of you, be good or Santa won't come. We love you, and we miss you all, but we are having a _great_ time! Bye!"

"Bye!" Kurt chimed in.

_"Good boys. You're so very in love. It's touching. Don't you think, though, that it's time to take things to the next step? Hmm?"_

Chris spluttered. "U-uh, sir, we're still young, it's only be-been a month, I don't think we're-"

Darren let out a brief yell just as Chris did - the bracelet on his wrist had sent electricity up both of their arms. _"You will take things to the next level tomorrow morning, or... you know what will happen,"_ the voice told them. There was another loud 'beep!'

Chris crumpled in Darren's arms as he began to cry.


	8. Chapter 7

Darren woke up the next morning to the feeling of shaking next to him. The brunette boy beside him was crying into his knees and arms, sobbing violently and shivering. _"Do it, Blaine. Disobey me, do it. You know what will happen."_ The man almost _growled_ out his anger, but he kept a straight face and wrapped his arms around Chris' waist, nuzzling against his neck and cradling him like a parent would their child.

"I'm so, so sorry, Chris," Darren whispered into his throat. "Feel free to hate me, but I can't let him hurt you. Not again."

"I know, I know, I know..." Chris wiped away his tears and smiled back at the man, who slotted their lips together in a chaste but clinging kiss. One kiss turned into two kisses, two turned into three, three into four, and four into five. Six turned into Chris being pinned to the bed by his wrists, Darren above him with worry in his eyes but a burning, intense look on his face. The brunette nodded with a quiet 'okay,' and their lips crashed together with a hurried type of urgency.

_'The scars of your love... they leave me breathless...'_

Blaine twirled his fingers over his boyfriend's naked stomach, lazy smile on his lips. "Why were you crying earlier?" he asked quietly, just as Kurt pulled up the blankets up to their waists and rested his head on the other boy's chest. A small smile was on his lips, but his eyes were still red-rimmed.

"I was just thinking about what would have happened... to me... if you had been depressed enough after the dance to... to kill yourself. I... I'd had a nightmare," he admitted shakily. He curled his knees up a little and rested his head over Blaine's heart. "But you're here! So I'm happy. Safe and sound, and happy," he claimed with an upward smile.

The older teenager slipped his hands back into the younger's. "I love you," he said slowly. "Don't... don't feel pressured to say it back, but I love you. I love you a lot," he admitted.

Kurt looked up at him with wide eyes, "Oh, Blaine... of course I love you, you idiot. I've loved you since... since you grabbed my hand and led me down that hallway, Bee... I love you," he said.

Blaine bit his lower lip to hold back a vibrant smile, and leaned down to press a sweet, yet awkward kiss to his boyfriend's lips. Chris drew back from the kiss with a tiny smile, full of pain and passion. He wanted their freedom back, for _his own_ sake. If not his own, then his family's and his friends' sakes, not to mention Darren's.

He loved Kurt, he loved Blaine - they were brilliant characters, each with their own quirks and mishaps, but each with their own perfections, but he didn't want to remain as _Kurt and Blaine_ forever. He was his own person, and he couldn't think of what might happen to _Darren_. The difference between Blaine and Darren was so much of a larger gap than between Kurt and himself. He couldn't bare to imagine Blaine and Darren merging - he was starting to treat Darren, as Kurt would Blaine, already. He was falling into the pattern, because it was a safety blanket. He didn't want the same to happen to Darren - he lost himself too easily, he would merge himself with whatever character he was playing, with each different person in the first place. It was dangerous usually, let alone in their current situation.

Darren? Well, he was thinking the exact same thing. He trusted Chris to be strong in himself, but no - not he. He was absolutely terrified of himself, and of the part of his brain dedicated to _Blaine._ "We have to get out of here," he whispered onto Chris' skin. "We can't keep going like this."

"I don't know what to do," the brunette replied with wide eyes. He pressed himself up to kiss Darren quickly, keeping up the act. "I love you so much."

"I love you, too, Kurt, so much..." Darren scattered kiss over his face, and pulled him up so they were face to face. Chris stared at him for a few moments, then rested his head into the crook of his shoulder. "Please don't take this as an insult," he whispered into his hair, lips barely moving. "But... was I your first, um, sexual act?"

"N-no. Second," the brunette admitted. "But I'm very much a virgin. Won't be for much longer, I'll bet, but hey." He shrugged a little.

"Hey! Don't think like that. We can get out of this," Darren whispered hurriedly.

"This is Mister Pessimist talking?" Chris asked with a shallow smile, hidden in his almost-lover's shoulder. That's what they were, really. Too close to be friends, too separate to be together in full.

"I'm trying, Chris," Darren told him, sad. "You should too."

"I am. I just... everything's pretty bleak at the moment. There's literally no sunshine to brighten up our days. I don't even know whether it's day or night, Dee. I'm _scared_. I'm tired, and my only caffeine is from coffee that blocks my ears and makes my throat swell!" he grumbled.

"Peanuts," Darren said quietly. "You're allergic to peanuts, right?"

"Yes, why?"

"Because I'm pretty sure that there's peanut oil in the packets of ready-made coffee."

_"Shit,_" the voice said, just as Chris did. _"You're not to move from this room for an hour. If you do, you know your consequences."_

"Yes, sir," the two said in unison.

_"Try to sleep,"_ he ordered.

"Yes, sir."

* * *

They did not in fact, sleep. They talked and shared semi-staged kisses over the next hour, hands joined in between them. They couldn't let go of each other. Darren was cold sweating and shaking almost constantly, and Chris had a splitting stress-headache that made him cry with the pain of it. _'Stop it,'_ and _'Be good,'_ were yelled at them time and time again, but it only made them more scared. They had both reached a boiling point. They were breaking rapidly, and there was nothing they could do to stop it but hold each other tightly and try to remember that there was hope in the world.

It took a while for Darren to phrase it, but finally, he told his companion thus: 'Life and fate? Evil fucking task-masters who will stop at nothing to ruin everyone else's lives.'

Chris couldn't help but agree. "This is why I don't believe in God," he whispered. "All the time in the Bible, there is talk of how much God loves us, and how he would send himself, in the form of his child to be tortured and crucified, just to 'save' us... but what type of all-knowing, all-seeing and all-powerful deity would leave his disciples and followers, and his _children_ with... with terminal illnesses, with non-terminal illnesses, with the fate of getting raped, or kidnapped or tortured, or k-killed..? If this 'God' exists somewhere, like he's portrayed in the Bible, he wouldn't let this happen to us," he stated tearily as Darren nuzzled into his neck and stroked calming circles into his bare sides.

"Ssh, hey. I know... I know, Chris. But what type of deity wouldn't leave his disciples with free will? It's partially our fault that all of these diseases are around, partially our fault that people have become so corrupted that they can't control themselves to the extent that they do these things... imagine what the man's childhood must have been like, what mental illnesses he might have that causes him to do this to us..." Darren kissed his forehead and circled his hands into his skin. Chris looked down at him in shock.

"You're excusing him!" he whisper-hissed. "How could you be making excuses for this... for this _monster_ after what he's done to us!"

"I'm not excusing him!" the older man cried. "I'm just saying, he's not... he can't be this... mad on his own. All I'm saying is that everything happens for a reason, and-" He shivered again, and Chris pulled him closer, deeper down under the blankets. "And maybe this is going to turn out... mediocre. It'll never be okay. This is going to... going to haunt us for life, but maybe we'll be set free. Maybe the police will find us, and he'll be locked up in the loony bin, and we'll be able to get back on with our lives. Maybe you'll go on to write a book about this, and I'll write the music for the play, and-"

Chris slapped him. "Darren. You can't turn this into a book or a play. If we get out of this alive, we will be hospitalized for weeks, and we will be seeing therapists and psychiatrists for the rest of our lives. We will have nightmares, and wake up screaming, and the only thing we'll want is each other, because really that's all we have right now. We're not... look at you. You're terrified, even though you're trying to hide it. And I'm more depressed and scared than I've ever been before. I'm hurting from my peanut allergy, and I've lost almost ten pounds. You've lost about five, and... fuck, Dee, we aren't healthy in any respect. It's absolutely _amazing_ that you can be so optimistic, but we're never going to be the same after this. I'm sorry, but... I can't see us coming out of this, and being willing to turn it into some book and play set, or getting on with our lives like they used to be. Dee... don't you get that?"

Darren was shaking, crying into Chris' shoulder. Of course he 'got that.' He knew it better than anything else, but all he wanted was to NOT know it. To believe in something else. No, though. He couldn't - because Chris was right. They would never, ever be the same.

_"Stop CRYING!"_ the voice yelled, and both of them yelled as electricity poured into their bodies.

"This is your fault!" Chris screamed. "We wouldn't be crying if you just let us go!"

Darren didn't cry out this time, he just cried. "Leave us alone!" the brunette demanded, and it was he who was punished for his words, Darren forgotten. "Just let us be our own fucking people! You've _raped us_ already, what more do you fucking want? Do you want my virginity, Darren's sexuality, our health, the fat from our bones, the blood from our veins, the water from our fucking _brains_? Take it, then! Fucking take it, just let us get this over with!"

He fainted yet again, and his bracelet flashed purple.

Darren looked up to the ceiling - he looked like he was praying. He propped the other man up on the pillows and stroked his hair back. _"See what happens when you disobey, Blaine?"_ the voice purred to him.

"Why are you doing this?" the man whispered.

_"Because you two are beautiful. There is no beauty in the world like yours, and the world is dying. You are my personal heaven. And I'm sharing you with the whole world - I may as well be a saviour."_

Darren gaped, but couldn't bring himself to reply. He and Chris were weak enough as they were. "I understand, sir... please... please let my boyfriend not... not get hurt again. I'll take both of our punishments for being bad, just don't hurt him. He's weak enough already. He's too thin, doesn't eat or drink enough, is too low on every single vitamin and mineral in the book... I can't bare to see him hurting, or collapsing again. Please," he whispered his last word with wide, pleading eyes directed to the ceiling.

_"Such a romantic... but no. Not when he's being so disobedient, Blaine."_

"Please? Please, grant me this."

_"You would really take all of his punishments without a complaint?"_

"Yes! Please say you won't let him get hurt again... please."

There was silence, then: _"Fine."_

"Thank you. Thank you, sir!" Darren curled himself up beside Chris with the tiniest bit of a smile lighting up his face as he began to come around. "It's gonna be okay, baby," he whispered as his companion's eyes fluttered open. To Chris or Kurt he spoke? He did not know.


	9. Chapter 8

The second time at purple was too much for Chris. He was bed-ridden for three days, and who was there to look after him? Darren, of course. The first morning was the worst.

"Hngh..." Darren started from his place in the corner of the bed, and dropped his book.

"Hey," he said quietly. He reached out, tentative, and took the brunette's hand into his own. "You're awake."

"Way to state the... the..." He began to cough violently, and Darren immediately passed him a glass of water.

"Obvious, sweetie. Your system had quite the scare, I think," the elder man whispered. He kneeled next to the younger and stroked his hair back as he drank. "You were cold-sweating all night. Your arm is pretty messed up..." Chris just groaned a little.

"Sho-show me?" Darren looked confused for a moment, then slipped both of his his hands around his companion's left to show him the burning on the inside of his wrist. "It's ugly," he whispered.

"It doesn't matter. What matters is you're alive, and I've got you, and we're safe," the man told him. He kissed the burned flesh. It was barely a brush of his lips, but it was there. It was precious. "And I think you're beautiful."

There was a beep, and the sound of a satisfied sigh. "I'm so scared, Blaine... I feel so weak," Kurt whispered. As usual, he was shaking.

Darren pressed a hand to his forehead and nodded with a deep, laboured breath. "I'm going to go find you some medication, okay, baby? Stay still and I'll look after everything. I'll look after _you._"

Chris just looked confused, and young - so young, and so scared. He still nodded obediently and snuggled down into the blankets, seeking out their warmth.

* * *

Darren returned with a cup of tomato soup in his hands and a shy smile on his lips. "How are you feeling?"

"Awful. Like... like I've been struck by lightning."

The elder man held back a laugh and set down the bowl on his bed-side table. He gave his partner two small, shiny pills and a glass of water. "These should dull the pain," he said.

"Thank you," Chris whispered back. "I... I really like this. You looking after me. It makes me feel loved."

"You _are_ loved. Always, by me, Kurt."

"I love you, Bee..." Their lips met in between them, but the older of the two pulled away.

"I love you, too. Now drink your soup." He offered the brunette a spoonful of the creamy red liquid.

It took Chris another two hours to regain full, stable thought processes, and six hours to regain full, stable movement of his limbs. It took him an additional two to realize that he was being babied, and that he was absolutely treasuring it. He felt safe. Warm and comforted, all the time. _Blaine_ was loving it, too. Darren had a few protests to one person being one-hundred percent dependent on another, but Blaine... Blaine loved the feeling that his boyfriend wouldn't be safe or happy without him.

* * *

It was mid-afternoon when the troubled couple fell asleep together, over-heated and sweaty under too-many blankets, but content that they would be safe, at least for a little while. 'As long as we stay in character, we'll be okay,' Darren thought with a smile. Chris gave him a drowsy smile in return, eyes a little too wide to be considered sleep-ridden.

'That's his 'Blaine' smile,' was his last thought before he fell asleep.

* * *

_Kurt was seated at his desk, worried frown on his lips and a pen in his hand. Blaine looked up from his place in the rocking chair, where little Elizabeth slept in his arms. "What's wrong, sweetheart?" he asked._

"Dad's sick," Kurt admitted after a moment's pause. "It's pretty bad... Can... can I have a hug, please?"

"Kurt, you haven't _asked_ me for a hug since we were sixteen," Blaine said as he stood and tucked their child into her cot. "Of course you can, silly," he finished. He came up behind his husband and wrapped his arms around his shoulders. "Is he gonna be okay?"

The brunette shook his head with wide, teary eyes and stood, pushing the chair aside to throw his arms around his partner's neck. "I don't know what to do."

"You don't have to do anything, love," Blaine whispered into his hair. He rubbed patterns into his upper-back and pressed a chaste kiss to his forehead. "We can go see him, and hug him, and love him, and let him know that we love him, but you don't have to do anything. You can stay right here with me if that's what you need."

"I love you," Kurt murmured against his neck. "How do I deserve you? I'm considering not... not seeing my dad off, and he's dying, and somehow I still have you, the kindest most devoted person in the world."

"What he did to you was bad, Kurt. Really bad. But we're okay. And I love you, too, alright? I love you a lot, and that isn't going to change." Kurt nodded shakily, and Blaine lowered his hands to his thighs. He lifted him effortlessly. "I'm taking you to bed. It's late enough already - I _know_ it's your night to be on Lizzy-Alert, but I can take care of our baby. And you're my number one priority right now, because you're the one crying."

The brunette man sniffled and smiled down at his husband, who pressed the sweetest kiss to his lips.

Darren awoke with a start, which detached Chris from his lips. "Wh-what's wrong?" the brunette asked.

"I... I was asleep..."

"Your eyes were wide open," he protested. "You kept saying my name, I thought... I thought you'd had a bad dream, or something."

"'Or something' is more like it," _Blaine_ said with a teasing smile. "Ignoring that I sleep with my eyes open, how are you feeling?"

"Much better. My arm's... numb, but it will pass." Chris smiled a little and pressed their lips back together. "Is it weird that all I want right now is to kiss you forever?" he inquired.

Darren chuckled a little and shook his head. He leaned his head forwards to nuzzle into his partner's throat, whispering hurriedly, "What instruction did he give us?"

"He said to improvise, just as long as we get to second base," Chris whispered back, under the guise of kissing his partner's head. "I love you," he gasped out, as Blaine trailed his teeth along the sensitive flesh of his neck.

"I know, I know," was whispered back as their tongues slid together past open lips. Darren nipped his lower lip with a playful growl, and tumbled them over so he was kneeling over his boyfriend's body. "Tell me if this is too much. I know you're still hurting."

"This is absolutely bloody fine," Kurt assured him, as he leaned up, back arched and perfectly poised, for a kiss that was full of tongues and spit. Blaine slipped his hands up, under his shirt to toy with his overly-sensitive ribs. "Just take the thing off, would you?" he whispered in between three fiery kisses. He raised his arms as soon as his shirt was tugged upon, and in seconds it was on the floor.

"You're beautiful, Kurt," Blaine reminded him, as Darren begged Chris with his eyes to forgive him for stealing yet another precious experience from him.

"Not like you, Bee," was the retort. Chris lifted Darren's shirt, and tugged on it in a deliberately futile manner. He chuckled a little and kneeled back up to peel the shirt from his overheated flesh. He made a show of letting the fabric cling to his oh-so-slightly defined abs, before throwing it aside. Kurt groaned and ran his shaking hands up his stomach and smashed their lips together, hands over his pectoral muscles, making fists against his skin. Darren pushed him down against the bed and rolled their hips together, and as the brunette let out a fractured moan, he realized something:

"We need to stop before I hurt you," he said with a bittersweet smile. Kurt made a whining noise in his throat and rolled his hips up against his partner's, needy in every way. "No, Kurt. I'm not gonna risk hurting you. Not in any way."

Chris pouted a little, and took in a sharp breath as he realized that he was actually starting to enjoy Darren's physical attention to him. 'Oh god,' he thought. 'This can't be good...' Darren stroked a fingertip over his cheek before sliding off of him and stretching our over the span of the bed.

"What would you like for dinner, handsome?"

"Anything's fine."

"Anything?"

"Anything."

"Alright then."


	10. Chapter 9

The second day was far worse, impossible as it seemed. Chris awoke screaming, with cold-sweat pouring down his sides and a burning pain in his arm. "Baby!" Darren cried. He couldn't bear to use Kurt's name when this was so obviously Chris. Chris' pain, Chris' fears. "Fuck, baby, what is it?" He clamped his hands onto his partner's upper arms, holding him still. The brunette's legs thrashed out in front of him, trying to get Darren _off._ "Sweetheart, look at me," he ordered.

Chris' eyes rose to meet Darren's, and he closed his eyes, holding back further tears. "I'm gonna lift you, okay, baby?" the elder of the two murmured, putting his arms around the younger's waist. "I'm gonna take you into the bathroom and run you a shower," he explained. "You're sweating all over, and it'll make you feel better. I promise."

Chris clung to him like a scared child as he was lifted, almost effortlessly. He was as thin as he could be without being in a fatal state. Even if he wasn't suffering from anorexia nervosa, he was most certainly anorexic, and at the stage he was at, Darren wouldn't be surprised if he was suffering from anorexia nervosa.

The crying boy didn't protest as he was seated on the edge of the bath and stripped down to his underpants by his almost-lover. "Can you get in the shower yourself?" Chris shook his head and indicated his arms, arms that were covered in sweat, and were shaking violently. Darren kissed his fingertips and lifted him up again to strip him of his underwear. "How hot do you like your showers, sweetheart?" he asked quietly, holding his hands to his chest. His heart was beating erratically, far out of the healthy range. 'Okay, Darren, what can you do to help?' he asked himself. 'How the fuck can you get this boy's heart-rate down? Kiss him? No. Hug him? No. Give him a massage..? Maybe. Think of something better, you idiotic asshole!'

"Warm," Chris mumbled, allowing Darren to arrange him in the shower, to set the temperature, to wash his body down with hand-warmed soap. Slowly, very slowly, his heart-rate was decreasing, Darren noticed. He was getting less and less scared as there was more and more contact.

"I'm going to hop in with you, sweetheart," he said quietly. "No obligations, just me holding you in the warm water." Chris nodded, a slight shyness coming into his movements as the elder man stripped down to his bare before, his abs weren't the defined part of his body. It was his ribs. Chris rested both hands on his stomach and helped him into the shower, their hands twining in between them.

* * *

That day Chris spent the whole time attached to Darren's side, or his hands, his waist or his chest. Darren did not mind - of course he didn't. It pleased their kidnapper, and it kept them both remotely safe. What he found curious was the way Chris panicked whenever he went to let go of him. He would find any excuse to take Darren's hand back into his own, or to attach himself to the man's waist.

The only time that the two felt safe from the man who held them captive was at night when they were hidden quite safely under a pile of blankets, pretending to be kissing, when in truth they were exchanging quiet words. "Chris... sweetheart, why are you holding on so tight?" Darren asked. He looked back at the brunette, who had both arms around his waist, squeezing so tightly that it hurt. 'Sweetheart' had become Chris' nickname. Darren's explanation was that even in the hardest of times, his heart was still pure and sweet.

"I can't lose you," Chris whispered. "You're... you're the only thing I have left. I can't... _Darren._ I'm going... I'm going mad, and you're the only thing keeping me from going bat-shit insane. I need you. I need you so badly right now, because you're the only real thing left. This is like a nightmare, Dee, and I can't... I can't imagine doing this without someone else- you with me." He hid his face in his hands and took three deep breaths.

Darren winced a little, because suddenly it all made sense. He wasn't in the exact same position... he didn't feel like he was going mad. He felt like he was in a very real world, not a world of fantasy, but he still needed Chris. He needed Chris to keep him from breaking down and falling completely out of character. "I know how you feel, Chris..."

_"What did you say?"_ the voice snapped. _"What did you say, beautiful Blaine?"_ it demanded to know.

"I said 'I know how you feel, Kurt,' sir."

_"You're lying to me, Blaine."_

Darren shuddered and poked his head out from under the blankets. Chris followed with a drowsy, love-struck expression on his face. "That's what he said, sir..." the brunette mumbled, wiping his eyes with the backs of his hands. He was trying to 'innocent and beautiful' his way out of the situation. "I just told him that I lo-love him with all my heart, and-"

Darren convulsed with pain and let out a moan of pain, then shouted as two shocks of energy ran up his arm concurrently. "P-please..." he whimpered.

"Please don't hurt De- Bee!" Another shot of pain ran up Darren's arm, forcing him to cry out. "NO, STOP!" he screamed. "Don't hurt him! He didn't do anything wrong!" Chris's screams were deafened by Darren's as energy poured over his skin. "STOP IT! I'm BEGGING YOU, _PLEASE_!" He cradled the burning, shaking mess that was his almost-lover in his arms, trying to ease his pain. "Honey, please, look at me..."

"C-can't, Cee-Cee-" Darren broke off with a shout.

"It was his mistake, why aren't you hurting ME? Please, please, it's my fault, just l-let him stop hurting!" Chris was crying, sobbing, in fact, as his partner did. They were clinging to each other, sobbing. Darren from the pain, Chris from the guilt and the fear, the want to protect. "Please, baby, hold on. Don't pass out, I've got you, I've got you, it'll stop, I promise..."

"Not go'n' anywhere, Chris..." Darren cried in a futile manner - it was more of a strangled shriek than anything else.

"Please stop," Chris whispered as Darren convulsed, sweat pouring down his cheeks and his sides. "Please, please stop... I love him so much, I need him, please, just stop this," he choked out. He stroked Darren's hair back from his forehead and rocked him back and forth in his arms. "I've got you, love. I've got you, I'm not letting go, it's going to be okay..." He took Darren's upper-arm to examine his wrist. The bracelet flashed from blue into purple. Chris pursed his lips together, trying to fight back tears as Darren sobbed to him. "I've got you, love, I've got you..."

"And I know it," the elder of the two slurred out. "Get... water... thirsty. Ke-keep me warm, but m-my arm uncovered," he ordered. "Gotta lay on my other side."

Chris nodded with wide eyes. He took care holding his partner's head in his hands then laying him down on the bed. He kissed his cheek and slipped off of the bed.

* * *

"Sweetie?" Darren asked well into the morning. Chris was mopping at his forehead and stocking ice and hot-water bottles around his body as required.

"Yes, baby?" The nicknames were exchanged without thought - they couldn't use their real names, but it felt like sacrilege to to use character names in such a _real_ situation.

The darker man groaned a little and indicated for him to stop. "Come here. Come here and cuddle me. Need you now." Chris stumbled over his own feet and clambered into the bed. Darren raised his one good arm and pulled him down against his chest. "Gotcha," he said playfully. "Was I dreamin'?"

"When, Bee?" The brunette rested his head on Darren's chest and listened to his still sped-up heartbeat.

"Few hours ago... you told him ta stop. 'Cause ya love me. Why'd you say that?" Darren asked curiously, kissing Chris' head and twining their fingers together. He pressed a sloppy kiss to their joined knuckles.

Chris tensed a little, but still looked up at his almost-lover. "Because I do love you, Bee," he said, simple as could be.

"Does C love me or K love me?" the man, Darren or Blaine, whichever it was, whispered with a knowing glint in his eyes. It was almost _dangerous._ The brunette shrunk away from him.

"I don't know," he whispered back. He was close to tears again, and hid himself in Darren's warm chest. "I don't know anymore." He was crying, face morphing as he tried to hold back looks of pain. He wasn't talking about just his feelings anymore. He was talking about his experience of self.

"I don't know either," the elder of the pair told him. "I... can't... I can't... I don't... don't know who _I_ am anymore." He ran his hands through Chris' hair and pulled him up to kiss him. "I know you, though."


	11. Chapter 10

Chris awoke to a set of warm lips sliding down his naked hips, and a hand on his manhood. He shuddered as he felt himself growing hard, and quite abruptly felt like crying. This wasn't Darren, nor was this his sweetheart back at home. This was a crazed man who was filming every moment and movement. This was Blaine Anderson, sweet and dapper boyfriend of Kurt Hummel. Kurt Hummel was one person Chris was not. He could live with being himself - he was happy, proud of himself. Kurt was a good person, but it wasn't Kurt getting the attention of Blaine's hands and lips, it was Chris. Chris who cried out, Chris who shuddered and shook, Chris who bit back strangled moans as he lost yet one more experience that all he had wanted for to be lost to someone who loved him for him, and whom he could love in return. He didn't want it to be a mix of fiction, terror and blackmail. He didn't want this for Darren, either. Darren was a straight, charming young man who deserved so much more than what he received. He deserved romance and sweetness, he deserved a beautiful girl who would perform this act FOR him, instead of him having to act it out on a man who his feelings for were tainted with terror and horrors unspeakable.

When _Blaine_ had done his part, Chris mimicked all he did, scattering soft kisses over his entire body, treasuring each and every inch of his body before taking his manhood between his lips.

* * *

Later that day, Darren could be found sitting in the dark room, holding his knees to his chest as he sang. Unshed tears shone in his eyes, and his whole figure quivered. "Love..." Chris murmured as he came across him. Darren didn't stop singing, not for one moment. He could barely see Chris through his wet eyes.

"You say 'Time for bed now, child,' and he just smiles that smile... just like he's always seen me, just like he's always seen me... so I breathe, wantin' just to hide, knowing deep inside, that you are coming to me... you are coming to me. You say all you want from us is just a 'kiss goodnight,' then we hold on and you whisper 'children, the lord won't mind...'" He began to sob into the lyrics, and there was a tightening around his wrist. He used the tears to his advantage, slipping into a belting mode of voice. "It's just you and me... 'child, you're such a beauty...' it's just you and me! 'God it's good to be lovin', ain't it good tonight? You ain't seen nothing yet, gonna have him treat you right...' it's just you and me... 'child, you're a beauty!'" There was a quiet beep, and Chris fell forwards into the room, onto his knees to take Darren into his arms.

'I've got you. You're safe, you're here, I've got you. We have each other, and I love you so much, no matter what we do, what you do or what I do...' were the types of things Chris whispered to him. Darren clung to the boy in his lap, crying into his shoulder as the hid from each other within each other. "I _know._" And that was the words that broke Darren's heart - it was because he did know. They both knew. Their lives were two thirds over. How could they ever get through this? Even if they were released, they would still be broken. Still be one hundred percent dependent on one another. Still be terrified of every computerized voice, and every order spoken in a firm tone. They would still have scars making patterns up their arms, still be at risk for every disease in the world. They would still be malnutritioned, still close to anorexic, still never be able to let each other go. They would never trust another face again. They would hold onto each other, and never be able to know another person in an intimate way. Because? That was what they had to do to survive in their prison. It was one another, and that was all.

Chris began to sing into Darren's hair as he saw all of this, as he thought, almost out loud. "I feel these four walls closing in... face up against the glass, I'm looking out, hm. Is this my life, I've been wondering... it happened so fast, how can I turn this thing around?" It was their song, at that point. It was perfect. All they wanted was something _else._ Whether it be living the life they once had or living on the streets, it would be better than the feeling of terror and bittersweet love that would never reach an end, and the scars being formed up their arms. "Is this the bed I chose to make? There's greener pastures everywhere I'm thinkin' 'bout... oh. Wide open spaces far away... All I want is the wind in my hair! To face the fear an not be scared..! Wild horses, I want to be like you. Throwing caution to the wind, I'll run free, too. I wish I could recklessly love-" Chris pressed a clinging, sweat-and-spit mixed kiss onto Darren's head, creating a break in the song. "-Like I'm longing to... I wanna run with the wild horses, run with the wild horses..."

Darren's face crumpled once more as their bodies molded together, and their voices created sweet harmonies, overlapping and curling together.

"Can I tell you a secret?" Chris whispered. Darren nodded and offered his ear. Chris leaned down to whisper, barely a breath, but whisper none-the-less: "We're going to get out of here. One day... in two weeks, two moths, two years... we're going to do this. We're going to push limits neither of us thought we had. We're going to take each other too far, and we're going to hurt each other. We're going to want to scream and shout at each other and the world, but we are GOING to GET OUT. We will get out. We will write that book and play, and we will join in a civil partnership to tell other people to back off, so we can figure this shit called emotion out, and we're going to adopt children who have been through what we're going through now. We're going to be on the cover of every magazine, and it won't be for our tragic story, but our bravery and our strength, because we will have gotten through this _together._ But we have to hold it together. What we did this morning pushed us both far, far, _far_ past our limits. Too far to what I thought was possible. But if we... if we stay in character except for those moments when he's gone, when we know he's gone. Then... then we might make him happy enough that once... once we've gone all the way, once we've... I dunno. Faked a marriage ceremony, and made love in a false sunset. Then we can go and _live_. Maybe not for too long. But we'll get out, and we'll be absolutely fucking broken to the bone, but we _will... get... out._ And we're going to do this together. And we have to think like this, else we are never going to recover, Darren Criss. And I want NOTHING but the best for you. For me. For... for us. If there's still an us."

"I love you," Darren gasped out, through cascades of tears. "I love you so much it hurts, but I don't know whether it's you or him anymore!"

"I don't fucking care. I love you, too. I love you, so much, and I need you so much it aches, but I'm betting my life Kurt feels that way about Blaine," Chris breathed back to him. "This is so scary... b-but..."

"You don't know what else to do? What to say?" Darren asked quietly, eyes full of a knowing warmth that begged for affection.

Chris kissed him gently and nodded. "Exactly... now let's sing cheesy love songs to each other then make out, okay?"

"Sounds perfect. He'll love it." Darren smiled and wiped away his own tears before kissing away the younger man's.

* * *

That was the point at which things started to get better, because they had given in. There was still the depression, still the fear, still the anxiety and night terrors. Yet, in addition, there was a ray of hope.


	12. Chapter 11

Mia got in contact with Chuck during the second week of the third month. She, unlike he, had not been made a promise that assured her that she would be updated on Darren's status. Her boyfriend, if she could even call him that anymore, was missing, and all she cared about was making sure that he was safe.

"What do you want?" Chuck asked her rather abruptly as he slipped into the chair across from her.

"No need to get feisty, Criss," Mia said with absolutely no emotion in her tone. "What do you want to drink?" she asked, summoning a waiter with a snap of her fingers.

Chuck looked rather startled, but still mumbled out his order. "And I'll take a long black with two extra shots, and caramel syrup," she added in as soon as he stopped speaking. "We'll have a plate of shortbread biscuits, too."

"Yes, Miss Swier," the waiter said, slightly wide-eyed. She obviously knew who her patrons were.

"Say nothing," Chuck ordered her. "And we know as little as you do, leave us alone," he said, head held high, and uncertainty in his eyes.

"Yes, Mister Criss," she said with a sad look. "I-I'm really sorry. I'll get your order straight away." She scurried away without further discussion, and Mia frowned.

"I'm sick of people saying that they're sorry to ME. They should be sorry to Darren. To Chris, too... n-not, not us. We're okay. We've lost them, but they're... they're probably trapped in some freak's basement being starved to death and tortured for playing gay men on T.V.," she whispered, and Chuck almost burst into tears.

"I'M sorry for you, Mia. I'm sorry for ME. You lost your boyfriend, and I've lost my little brother... I'm sorry for everyone involved, even though it's mainly Darren and Chris I'm sorry for. Please, Mia, don't list the possibilities. I've thought them all over, from the cheery idea of an elope to the idea of being murdered for their portrayal of Kurt and Blaine. You know I know how you're feeling, so _what_ do you want?" he asked through shallow breath.

Mia held back her own tears. She had had many nights of barely-restrained sobs, and free-flowing tears, she didn't need any more. "I wanted someone else who's going through the same thing as I am who I can be assured isn't in love with him and trying to sort me out," she said, almost in a spitting tone. "I wanted to see you again. I wanted to be able to see if my _friend_ was okay."

Chuck nodded, a little teary. "Okay. So... what do you want to talk about?"

"Anything. We can talk about... D-Darren and Chris, or we could talk about nothing at all, or pure nonsense. It's up to you."

"Can I hold your hand? I sort of... cut myself off. I need... I want someone who gets it. You certainly get it."

She immediately reached across the table and tangled their hands together. "Anything," she repeated.

* * *

Karyn Colfer was pregnant. She had found out two weeks after her baby boy's disappearance. She didn't want the child. She had so much on her hands already, but when she thought about it from the other side, she _did_ want the child. She wanted the distraction from Chris. She wanted the joy of holding a healthy baby to her chest again. She wanted the swelling of her stomach and the growth of her breasts again. She wanted everything that came with having a baby, she just didn't want the pain, the disrespect of having a child while her first born was missing. Hannah needed her, though, more than ever. It felt like she was drifting away. Her attacks were far more often, now, and they were far more intense. She had stopped learning. Now, it was just tears. Small books. Waiting, and waiting for her big brother to come home to them.

It felt too late to get an abortion. She was, apparently, four months pregnant already, and it had only been two since Chris had gone missing. She really shouldn't let her love for Christopher get in the way of her developing love for her growing child. It was a girl. A fully healthy, properly developing girl, the doctors told her. There was nothing wrong with this child that could ruin its life like had happened with Hannah. There was no true reason to not have this child. Tim was nervous, but willing - he was just as, if not happier than, his wife about the pregnancy. It was something he had wanted for a long time.

"Love?" she asked one night, her head rested on her husband's chest as they watched the evening news. There were, as usual, advertisements about Darren and Christopher, asking if anyone had seen them, and if so, to contact the police.

"Yes, Karyn?" he asked.

"I know... I know this is totally out of line, but I know what I want to name her."

"Yes..? What name have you chosen?"

She took in a deep breath, then let it go. "I want to call her Christina."

Tim tensed for just a moment, but he nodded. "In memory of Christopher," he whispered. "Can we give her Darren's middle name? Christina Everett Colfer?"

"She's going to be burdened for life... but she never has to know where her names comes from." They were still in mourning. Still hurting so badly, but it seemed that, after two months, it was time to give in.

Christopher Paul Colfer wasn't coming back.

"Christina Everett Colfer." Karyn placed her hands over her swollen stomach and rubbed the skin there. "Hello, baby," she said quietly. "You're going to be so special, and so treasured... and we're never going to let you go." And in that moment, she did let go. She took one hand out of two from her son's memory, and let him go, just a little.

* * *

"Okay, guys, take it from the top!"

_"I miss Kurt," Mercedes said with a deep frown, hands drifting over the piano. "I miss him so much..."_

Sam took her hand and squeezed it tightly. "We all do, babe. He and Blaine... that car-crash wasn't meant for them. Not them." He began to look watery eyed, and looked away.

"It should have been somebody else. Kurt won't... Blaine isn't going to wake up, they know that, and Kurt..." Santana held back tears. "Kurt might not either."

"You never knew him like I did, Sam, nor you, Santana... I appreciate it, but... you don't know how amazing he was... he belonged in this world more than anyone else. He was cruel and kind in all the right ways, and he was so, so talented..."

"Who's so so talented?" Rachel asked from the doorway, a huge smile on her face.

"Don't get so excited. We're talking about Kurt," Santana said from her position on the top of the piano. "And you should be thinking about him, too. Really, Berry, I know you probably think 'it's been two months, get over it!' but some of us care about him more than that."

"I resent that!" the girl squeaked. "I miss Kurt more than all of you put together, he was my best-"

"Your best gay," Mercedes snapped at her. "I was his best FRIEND." She toyed with Sam's hand and played a simple melody on the piano.

"Get over yourself, Mercedes. Anyway, fellow Glee Clubbers, I have a song prepared that should lift all your moods significantly-"

"YOU get over YOURself, Rachel," Finn begged from behind her. "My little brother's almost dead. Music isn't going to help."

"Really?" Mister Schuester asked from the doorway. "I was hoping... I have a new assignment. I know none of you are enthusiastic about music at the moment, because of... but I thought..." He walked into the room and turned the whiteboard over. 'Missing You,' was written on it. "We could dedicate our songs to anyone that we miss, but mainly... yes, Kurt. And Blaine."

"Mister Schue?" Tina asked quietly. "Mike, Britt and I have a song. It's not quite right, but it's... it fits a little bit, if that's okay."

"Mister Schuester, I really think that Finn and I, as team captains-"

"Tina asked first, Rachel. Sure, Tina. You go ahead."

Tina, Brittany and Mike stepped into the center of the room, Mike moving to the piano and the rest of the group moving to make room for them. "The smell of your skin lingers on me, now," he sang quietly, as Tina took a place beside him. People were shocked to hear him singing. "You're probably on your way back to your hometown..."

He began to play the piano, and the girls chimed in with a series of 'ooh,'s 'aah's and 'dum's. They were imitating the Warblers. It was when they got up to 'I'm gonna miss you like a child misses their blanket' that Rachel began to cry. The song went on, however, and by the end, all the group was in tears.

The group burst into a bout of cheers and laughter, but it was Harry, Lea, Ashleigh, Chord and Amber who remained silent. They shared looks that said one thing: 'How have they forgotten so quickly? Kurt and Blaine aren't just characters... they're actors, too... and those actors are the ones that are gone.'

* * *

Kurt woke his boyfriend up with gentle kisses being scattered over his face. He treasured each and every millimeter of his face and neck, his tongue tickling against his skin. "Baby. Love, it's time to wake up," he said, laughter in his voice. Blaine groaned a little, but still opened his eyes. A small smile became apparent, and he moaned lightly.

"Good morning, beautiful," he said appreciatively. "Is that coffee I smell?"

"Good morning, handsome," Kurt echoed. "It most certainly is. Want some?" He was innocent as could be.

"Yes, please." Blaine closed his eyes for a moment, and pulled Kurt down into a kiss.

The brunette chuckled onto his lips and pulled away slowly. "Then get it yourself." He twirled away from his boyfriend, lightness all around him.

"Kurt!" the older whined, sitting up and wrapping blankets around his naked waist so he could stand up and pull his boyfriend into his arms. "I love you," he said, gentle in tone and touch as his fingers fluttered over his still-bare sides.

Kurt shuddered a little and rested his forehead on Blaine's, slouching, just a little so they could touch. "I love you, too," he admitted. "But you still have to pour your own coffee."

"I can live with that." The darker man nodded in a solemn manner, bumping their heads together. "Ow!"

"You goof!" Kurt complained, rubbing his head and slapping Blaine's arm playfully. He was met by a pair of wide, innocent eyes that looked full of guilt and fear. "F-fine. Get in the kitchen, I'll pour you coffee. Just be careful where you put your bloody head, Blaine!"

The elder man giggled, childish as could be, and _strutted_ away to the kitchen, where he waited for his partner with a sweet smile. "I do really love you, you know... you still make me feel like I'm living a teenage dream... the way you turn me on, I can't sleep, let's run away and don't ever look back, don't ever look back," he sang quietly.

"No looking back, Bee," Kurt said from the door, his arms crossed over his chest and the sweetest of smiles gracing his lips. "Never. You're my... you're my everything, Blaine. I don't know what I'd be without you. I can't look back from you, and I don't feel you can look back from me." He walked over to his love and perched himself on his knee. He leaned back a little to slide their lips together. _Darren_ giggled a little into the kiss.

"Can we have the marriage talk yet?" Blaine asked, just as quietly. He looked shy and nervous.

"Not quite yet, sweetie." Chris and Darren shared a light kiss, before Kurt got up from Blaine's lap and walked over to the coffee pot. "The usual?"

"The usual."


	13. Chapter 12

It had been three months. They still had nothing. As soon as comments had started to flood in on the YouTube clips of 'Kurt and Blaine,' the account disappeared, as did all the copies of them. The detectives, and the police, Ryan and his workers, all agreed to keep the Colfers and Criss' oblivious to their actions. It would hurt too much to know what they knew, and it would be too cruel to give them false hope. 'Kurt15Blaine' had disappeared off the face of the planet, not to be found except in mentions on social networking and fan sites. Somehow, all the copies of the three videos had disappeared. All of them - from the continuation of 'Original Song,' to the continuation of Kurt and Blaine's meeting on the stair-case, to the serenade of 'You Are the Moon' from Kurt to Blaine. The audio files still existed, and were being thoroughly examined every moment of the day, but that gave no clue as to where the boys were.

It was July the twenty-sixth when they found something. It was Chuck Criss' band mate Dorris Cellar who found it. It was four a.m. on a Monday morning, and Chuck was fast asleep when Dorris burst into his room, with a manic look, and laptop under her arm. "Chuck! I've found Darren! I've found Darren, wake up!"

It took a full twenty seconds for Chuck to be one hundred percent alert, but as soon as he was, he grabbed the laptop and flipped it open. The sight that met his eyes made the brotherly part of him squirm. The logical part of him just screamed in horror. His baby brother, his sweet little Darren was clutching Chris Colfer to his body, their lips, and their hips for that matter, joined. Soft, breathy moans escaped both of them, ('Oh, Kurt...' 'Blaine...') and hands touched faces, throats, backs and hips as if they were made of the most fragile material. It was recent. Darren looked older - more-so than ever before. He was clean-shaven, all over, and he was as thin as he could be. Chris was in an identical state, but it was visible from his side of the video that there were scars trailing up his arms, even through layers and layers of makeup. "N-no, I can't watch this," Chuck whispered. He stopped the video just as his little brother went to pull of his friend's shirt. He looked over the page. It was a live-stream styled page, titled 'LifeTube.' Apparently six _thousand_ people were watching, or had watched this perverted show. It was uploaded by an account titled 'The-Beautiful-One.' Most importantly though, there was a location: _Boston._ "Were you just looking for porn of my brother, or is this some fucked up coincidence?" he spat out through tears he hadn't noticed.

"'The Beautiful Ones,' by Prince. I w-was looking for sheet music, a-and I saw the names Kurt and Blaine, and I just had a _feeling._ Oh god, Chuck..."

Chuck ignored her, pulling out his phone. "Pick up, pick up... it's Chuck Criss! I've found a lead on the disappearance of Darren Criss and Chris Colfer. Please, just g-get to a computer, I'll tell you the U.R.L..." He recited it to the officer at the other end of the phone, who was trying to keep him calm.

"We'll take it from here, and keep you updated, Mister Criss. Thank you," and without another word, there was a beeping. He ripped his phone from his ear, and began to type into it. He sent the U.R.L. to Mia, to his parents, to Chris' parents, to all of the officers and detectives that he knew of, and some of the StarKids, with the message 'They're in Boston. Start searching. Please, find my baby brother.'

He got one reply immediately, _'I'll meet you outside your house in ten minutes. We're going to Boston right fucking now. We're going to find the perverted freak that's done this to them. -Mia.'_

He almost smiled at how feisty she was, but of course, he didn't. He was crying, and his baby brother and close friend, who he hadn't heard from or of since May, were being forced to act out scenes as their characters. He felt sick. "Want to come kill the creep who has my brother?" he asked Dorris, who shook her head with wide eyes.

"I can't. I don't... I can't do this."

"Fine. I'll do it myself."

* * *

Later that same night, Kurt and Blaine touched in ways they had never touched before, exchanging everything from light brushes of the fingertips, to harsh _slaps_ of skin against skin. They still refused to go all the way. Or more, Darren refused to let Blaine, or himself, take Chris' virginity without it being one hundred percent necessary. He treasured Chris far more than Chris treasured himself, just as Chris treasured Darren far more than he treasured himself. It was a side effect of being objectified - your own self-worth goes down, so your appreciation of others in the same situation goes up rather quickly.

Chris was shocked to find that, in the morning, there was a twelve-pack of Diet Coke in the fridge, and a chocolate cake. "Blaine, love, what do you want for breakfast? Pancakes or chocolate cake?" he called playfully. He was playing along. He felt slightly accomplished, in a sick way. He slapped himself, literally, as he realized why they had these things all of a sudden. It was because they had initiated sexual contact without being told to. They were being rewarded for being corrupted. He resisted the urge to throw up, swallowing all of the bile in his throat.

"Chocolate cake please!" Darren called from the shower, giggling a little. He wondered when Chris had had time to cook such a thing, and quite suddenly the exact same thought process that Chris had had wandered into his mind. Unlike his sweetheart, he didn't have quite the stomach for the idea, and found himself bent over the sink, dry heaving, as his body shook.

His 'little attack,' as he would refer to it later, lasted only a few minutes, but it was still enough that he had to delay himself further by showering yet again, trying to remove the feeling of filth from his skin.

"Babe? I've got your coffee and breakfast set out..." Chris said, poking his shy little head into the bathroom. "You're taking a while today!" he teased as Darren stepped out of the shower, and wrapped a towel around his hips.

"Like what you see, darling?" he teased back, flashing his sweetheart a view of his bottom as he dried himself off. Kurt looked shy, and blushed rather vibrantly.

"When do I NOT like what I see when it comes to you, Blaine?" He patted the man's lower back, playful as could be.

* * *

"Hurry up, your coffee will get cold. I whipped cream to go on your cake, so get your _fine_ arse out here!" Chris and Kurt called together. Chris winced as he felt the rise in his voice, the slight dip and curve in his vocal patterns that signified Kurt's presence within him. He hated the way his hip protruded under his hand, hated the way his head was held high on his perfectly straight back... he hated it all, but he was accustomed to it. Just as he hated Darren having to become Blaine, but absolutely adored the love that was given to him by the identical pair. He breathed deeply, trying to separate all of Kurt from all of Chris, and all of Blaine from all of Darren. He closed his eyes and put down his coffee, just trying to concentrate. 'Christopher Paul Colfer... who are you?' he asked himself. He got no reply. He tried again, 'Kurt Hummel, who are YOU?' He got a flood of responses - 'I am sassy, I am bitchy, I am kind, I am compassionate, I am responsible, I am naive, I am fashionable, I am loving...'

"Ch-Kurt? Sweetheart?" Chris shook his head, opened his eyes and gave his almost-lover a sweet smile. "I think someone zoned out there, love," Blaine said quietly, giving Kurt's shoulder a squeeze and his forehead a light kiss. "Oh! What's this?" Darren cupped a hand under Chris' nose, catching the escaped blood. He reached out to the table to grab a tissue, and pressed it to his sweetheart's nose. "Are you okay?"

"Y-yeah, just... suddenly a bit dizzy." Darren took his hand and his waist and helped him over to a chair, handing him another tissue. Chris leaned back into the man's chest, sighing deeply as blood soaked the tissue. "Your coffee's on the counter," he said quietly.

"Baby, I am not leaving your side until you stop bleeding. You _never_ get nose-bleeds..." He began to rub soothing circles into the boy's shoulders, and pressed a kiss to the back of his head.

"O-okay... this doesn't feel like it's stopping, and I don't want to use up all the tissues... give me a-a hand?" Blood trickled from the tissue down into Chris' mouth, and he grimaced. Darren helped him stand up and kissed his forehead - Chris pushed him away. "No time for romance, lover," he said, his true self coming through into his words. He pushed past him to the sink, and leaned over it to allow the blood to drip. Blood was cascading from his nose, and Darren took his time in sliding his hand over the man's back.

"Should I get you some ice to put on the back of your neck?"

Chris nodded, only to cough up blood that trickled down his throat.

* * *

"I-I'm sorry I pushed you away," Kurt and Chris said together. "I just... it hurt. I was dizzy, I didn't mean to hurt _you_."

Blaine wrapped both of those strong as of his around the brunette's waist, and pulled him close. "Never apologize for something like that. You were hurting - your wants and needs come first in that type of situation, not my silly need for romance."

"Your need for romance is not silly, Blaine Anderson." Chris pushed his lips into Darren's, trying to get an honest response out of him. Blaine stroked the back of his neck and kissed back, gentle as could be. Unlike Darren, Blaine was a sweet kisser - his kisses were the type full of love and tenderness. Darren was a passionate kissed - he put himself into every kiss, and let the other person know that he loved them with every inch of his body. These kisses were something in between, Darren realized. They were passionate, but gentle and sweet, too. He was losing himself in a character he had made up in his own stupid head.

He put his arms around Chris and lifted him up a little, so the man's legs wrapped around his waist. He pressed his tongue forwards, parting his lips and tangling their mouths in full. He backed the brunette up against a wall, holding him there as they gave each other everything they could in just a simple kiss. Chris moaned a little and drew back. "I love you, Dee," he whispered against the man's ear. "I haven't lost you."


	14. Chapter 13

_**A.N. Censored. So, very, censored.**_

* * *

Chuck and Mia were seated in the woman's car, both of them with their eyes set on the road. "How the fuck are we supposed to find out which house it is?" Mia demanded as they drove into Boston. Their hands were entwined between them, grounding them as a couple.

"I don't care if we have to go knocking door to door, we're finding them!"

"Hey, Chuck." Mia kept staring ahead, one hand on the wheel. "We can narrow it down. East Boston, right? And let's stereotype and say they're in a basement. We can talk to the police and everyone in the political, criminal crew who would be able to narrow that down for us. For now let's just make our way to East Boston and find a place to sleep for a few hours."

"But-"

"No 'but's, Criss." Mia squeezed his hand, and he sighed in defeat.

"Fine... I just..." He sniffed. "I want my little brother back. I want him to stop hurting, and being forced to act out pornographic scenes as a character he can't even relate to..." he said quietly.

"Hey, Chuck, I know... he was my boyfriend for a very long time, and I do really like Chris."

"'Was?' I thought you would still... when he got out. Don't you still have feelings for him?"

"Of _course_I do. But I doubt he'll want back in my arms after all this. Can't you see how this will play out? He and Chris are going to either split apart so completely that they'll never hear from each other, or they'll be bound at the hip. I'm voting the latter. And I don't care. As long as he's happy and I've got his elder brother to flirt with, I'm happy." She smiled a little. "I really like you, Chuck. But I really like your brother too. So for now, I just want to find him and his idiot of a best friend and get them safe."

He squeezed her hand and nodded, an identical smile on his lips. It was bittersweet, but the sweet dominated the bitter. "I'm in the same boat as you."

Mia Swier and Chuck Criss ended up sharing a bed that night.

* * *

Darren once again to soft kisses being scattered over his cheeks. "Morning, handsome," he said to his sweetheart, who pulled away with a sweet smile. "How long have you been awake?"

"Ever since this-" Chris offered him a letter. "-was slid under the door. It's from my dad." He smiled shyly. "It's addressed to both of us."

_Blaine_ sat up immediately, pulling his boyfriend to his chest in such a manner so they could both see the letter.  
_Dearest Kurt and Blaine,_

Don't you think it's time you lost the big 'V'? Really, you're boring me, at this pace. Remember: The whole world's watching. Everything's ready for you to use on him, Blaine, in the top drawer.

Love,  
Your most faithful fan.

Chris' lower lip almost quivered. He had known it was coming for a long time, but it didn't mean the message didn't hurt. It was an order, more than a message, in truth. It was 'If you don't make love to each other, I will do what I did to your arms, but to your whole body, in addition to it. Be careful.'

"Your dad is the coolest," Blaine said, snapping him out of his stupor. He kissed the back of his partner's neck with a smile. "And I'm glad I have his blessing. I'd never want to put your relationship with your dad in turmoil..."

Kurt smiled and turned to kiss him gently. "He's always approved of you - you've always had his blessing, you silly thing."

"If I'm silly, then you're mad for falling for a bugger like me." Kurt giggled and slid their lips together, moving around and settling his perfect hips over Blaine's.

"Well then you're absolutely bonkers for allowing me within ten feet of you..." Blaine said in a purring tone of voice.

Kurt gnawed on his lower lip and settled himself in Blaine's lap. "I want to have sex," he blurted out. His face turned sweet magenta-pink, and he buried it in his almost-lover's shoulder. He paused for a few seconds as Blaine's fingers stroked up and down his back - those fingers were tender, but expressing the utmost curiosity and, hidden, want. "I-I want us to make love, Blaine," he whispered, looking up. "We've done everything. We love each other, we trust each other in full... I-I want this... and if you're ready for the 'marriage talk,' and the 'children talk,' then I th-think you'd be ready for the sex talk, t-too..."

Blaine threaded his fingers into Kurt's hair and pressed their lips together. "Kurt, are you sure you want this with me..? I'm just... I'm just the boy in the blazer. You're Kurt Freakin' Hummel," he said quietly, and _Chris_smiled and nodded. He nuzzled their cheeks together.

"You're so much more than the boy in the blazer, Blaine... I wouldn't... I wouldn't want this with _you_if you were just another blazer. You're perfectly... perfectly imperfect."

Darren kissed his partner's head as he spoke those sweet words. "As are you," he whispered onto his skin. "I love you, Kurt... I love you so much. Let's make love tonight, okay?" he asked, shy as could be.

"Let's make love tonight," Kurt confirmed, and Chris led their lips together in a slow, passionate kiss.

* * *

Darren and Chris spent the rest of the day in bed, singing to each other - soft, comforting words and promises of love and devotion - and jokingly quoting their favourite books, movies, shows, comics and plays. They were trying to learn to be more comfortable with each other, again.

If they were going to perform the act of love-making, they may as well be as thoroughly in love as possible. They rekindled their love of Harry Potter, of Star Wars, of Pokemon... all in a cute enough manner that their kidnapper would be happy. "I'm gonna go make dinner," Darren murmured into his drowsy partner's ear. He kissed his neck, lips clinging, before pressing another, and another. "Hm. I don't need dinner," he teased. "I've got you. And your... delicious skin." He bit gently and licked over the patch of flesh, before sucking it into his mouth.

There was a large purple hickey on Chris' flawless throat by the end of three minutes. "There," he said, perfectly satisfied. "Now." He patted the brunette's sleeve down over his arm and kissed his lips. "Ravioli or lasagne?" he asked with a grin.

Chris and Kurt groaned and fell backwards on the bed.

* * *

Their hands were joined over the table, each with a glass of sparkling cider in their other hand. "To us?" Kurt offered quietly as their goblets struck.

Blaine chuckled a honey-rich chuckle. "To us," he agreed.

"I don't know how you managed this, Blaine... everything's perfect." _Chris_looked up from under thick lashes to smile teasingly, albeit slightly sadly, at his love. "You're a regular Prince Eric."

"Ooh, a high compliment from you, my prince," Darren bantered back, winking at Chris before taking a sip of his cider. "I love you, Kurt. I love you with my whole heart, body and mind... and I can only hope that someone as... perfectly imperfect as you could feel the same." Chris internally gagged. Such cheesy lines would _not_ get him into _anyone's_ bed, or heart, for that matter. Kurt, however, felt warmth growing in his chest and tears welling in his eyes, because his boyfriend was just _perfect._

"I love you, too, Blaine." He bit his lower lip and looked down through his bright smile to stop himself from crying. "And I feel blessed that you feel just the same as I do about you..." He squeezed Blaine's hand before letting go to take up his fork. "This all looks amazing, thank you."

"The pleasure was all mine, sweetheart. I just hope it _tastes_ good." Darren rolled his eyes on the inside at all of the silly banter. If this were true - if they were just Chris and Darren, knowing they wanted to make love, there would be no candles, or cider, or fancy Italian dishes. It would just be them, and their passion, their bodies, hearts and minds. He wished he could do that for Chris - give him a first time perfect for _them_, not their characters. He wanted to make sweet, passionate love to him on a bed that _wasn't_currently covered in rose petals, in a room they could call their own - a private, safe-haven... but none of that would ever happen - not for Darren, not for Chris. It would be the staged, sickeningly sweet, slow-paced, utterly puppy-love-ish love-making that could only be expected from the so called 'gay power-couple.' It would be stereotypically, and utterly, perfect.

Except for the actors behind the characters.

* * *

When they finished with dinner, Kurt immediately stood up, shy look on his face. "I'm going to take a shower," he said quietly, eyes sparkling with the sweetest love. "I'll be back in a fifteen minutes or so, love..." He pressed a kiss to Blaine's forehead and nuzzled his nose into the sweet scent of his un-gelled, perfectly clean hair.

"O-okay..." Blaine smiled up at him. He looked like he was about to explode with nervous energy. He kissed Kurt's lips and twined their fingers together for a moment. "I love you..."

"I love you, too..."

* * *

Chris cried.

Darren swore to himself, then swore some more - but this time he was swearing that he would make the night as perfect for Chris as he possibly could. He wouldn't use Blaine's grace and tender touch. He would use himself - his own passion, his own tenderness to make Chris feel as human, as beautiful, and as wanted as possible. He didn't want Chris to remember this as a night of falsehoods.

The young virgin, however, just wept into his knees as he scrubbed his body free of the feeling of filth - he felt as if, maybe, just maybe, he deserved this. He deserved the thievery of his first _everything,_ his first _time making love._ He felt wrong, and disgusting. He scrubbed himself with a body-scrubber, over and over again, just trying to get the feeling of _dirty_from his flesh.

He stepped out of the shower fifteen minutes later, and dried himself, partially with a towel, partially with the hair-dryer. He put effort into moulding his hair into some sort of order without gel, and gave up soon after with a melodramatic sigh. Kurt, however, persevered until his brown locks were in perfect place. Together they ran their fingers over their eyelashes, lengthening them. They looked themselves up and down self-consciously, and winced.

Darren and Blaine, on the other side of the wall, however, were pacing nervously. They had stripped down to their t-shirt and a pair of shorts. Darren, of course, felt more comfortable as such, but Blaine just felt self-conscious. Darren was planning in every way he could, how he could make himself, and his own love shine through over Blaine's suppressive personality. All of those thoughts were lost when Chris came into the room, towel around his waist and a nervous, yet loving look on his face. He dropped the towel from his perfect figure, exposing himself in full to his almost-lover.

"H-hi," he whispered.

"Hi..." Blaine and Darren looked their respective sweethearts up and down. "I love you."

* * *

Darren rested his sweat-soaked head on Chris' equally sweaty chest. "I love you..." he whispered, trailing his fingers across the man's stomach, through their joined fluids and down his thigh so he could join their hands.

"I love you, too."


	15. Chapter 14

Darren awoke a little before his lover. He was immediately enchanted by how utterly _peaceful_ Chris looked. His mouth was slightly open, hair stuck flat to his head from all of the sweat shed the previous night. He was almost smiling, pale features looking warm and soft in the low, artificial light. As time went on, the lights got brighter, imitating a sunrise through a non-existent open window. Darren ran the back of his hand down one of Chris' perfect cheeks. His other hand came to rest on his stomach, and carefully, he mapped out the man's flesh with his fingertips. He didn't want to wake him, just wanted to get to know his body again. Not in a sexual way, just in a way that meant that he could remember the feel of his skin at any time of day... although, he had no trouble with that feat anyway. All he wanted, in all honesty, was to touch Chris - to be close to him in any way he could. "Hi," the younger man mumbled out, small smile fluttering over his lips. "Morning, lover..." Chris opened his eyes, looking utterly refreshed. He looked _warm_, and full-faced, perfect, and happy. He reached out to cup Darren's cheek in his palm, and drew their faces together, brushing their noses before sliding their lips together. When Darren moved atop him, a little of the light in his eyes fell. "I'm sore all over," he murmured with a small smile, and a happy squirm.

Darren kissed his nose and trailed his fingers down the boy's cheek. "I didn't... I didn't hurt you too badly? I didn't hurt you in general?" he asked, taking in the light of his eyes.

"Don't worry," he said with a brighter smile. "It feels _wonderful_." He grinned and leaned up for a brief, wet kiss. "Hm. I could get used to this. The 'waking up' of the 'morning after,'" he said. He shivered again. "It _does_ hurt," he admitted after a few moments. "But it's like... a constant reminder you were here, beside me, _inside_ me... and I love that." It was at that moment that Darren realized he wasn't talking to Chris anymore. He was talking to Kurt, and no-one else. "I love you so much, Blaine... and I love what we did." Darren felt like he had been stabbed in the heart. Repeatedly.

* * *

For the rest of the day, Darren served his sweetheart, and Kurt, hand and foot. Anything and everything that he did was trying to bring out just a spark of Chris. He wanted the sweet looks, the scared looks, and the loving looks. Even the confused and desperate looks would have been an absolute pleasure at that point. It was terrifying to be as he was. He felt alone. For the first time, it was not Darren and Chris, united against their captor and their characters, but now, it was Darren, all alone, trying to fight off all the pain and the torment, but it was so much harder than before, because he was all alone. He needed his own lover back. Kurt was a sweetheart, but Chris was what he _needed,_ heart, mind, body, and soul.

* * *

_"Now we've got a special program tonight, about our two favourite Glee boys, Kurt and Blaine! We've been sent in some footage from an anonymous personage, who's been looking after the actors as they act out scenes just for us!"_

There were cheers across the live studio audience. "And tonight, we're going to show you ALL we have so far. From a re-shooting of 'Never Been Kissed,' to a gorgeous... well. We'll wait and see, won't we?" There were more cheers as a screen flashed to life, with an old-fashioned black-and-white countdown - four, three, two, one... action.

"You sick _fucks!_" Ryan cried to the executives before him. "Darren and Chris have been _kidnapped_, they are being held _hostage_, and you're not only furthering their abuse, but you're making money out of it! You repulse me - you're almost as bad as their kidnapper them self!"

"No calm down, Mister Murphy... you're over-reacting. We were sent in footage of two of our most loved characters, who have been missing from the air for months. We wanted, more than anything, to reassure our watchers that the boys are _safe and sound._"

"They are NOT safe and sound! They are being forced to have sex, to act out scenes that they can't possibly believe in the morals of, all the while with choking monitors around their wrists that have apparently been burning them! Look at their arms, for God's sake!" Ryan moved forwards, _fire_ flashing in his eyes. "I'm warning you... if you don't take it all down, blank it all out, I'm taking Glee off the air. In full, never to return type thing. You wouldn't want that now, would we?"

"Do you realize that this single broadcast of Darren and Chris has gotten us more viewers than two episodes of Glee put together? As long as we keep getting more videos - which we have been - we're fine with or without Glee."

Ryan's eyes went wide, and he let out an agitated cry, before storming out of the office. He shoved the guards out of the way and left the building without another word. He _needed_ to find Darren and Chris.

* * *

Karyn ran her hands over her stomach with a contemplative look. She was almost five months pregnant. It was almost September, and her baby was now fully visible on an ultrasound, and all she knew of her baby _boy_ was that he was in Boston. She couldn't bare to know more, else her hopes would be raised again, only for them to crash. Little Christina was developing perfectly. Apparently, there was nothing wrong with her immune system, nor was she ill in any way... she was a perfect baby, just like Chris had been.

She knew she must come off as a bad parent, but at this point, what she needed to focus on was what she had, not what she had lost. She had two beautiful daughters and a loving husband, albeit an absent one. He had disappeared for work three days ago, just after the announcement that 'the boys' were in Boston. She wasn't stupid - she knew that he had gone to look for their son, and she knew he wouldn't find him. She would rather be pessimistic, and never disappointed, rather than optimistic and constantly let down.

As was once said, the only thing greater than fear was hope. Karyn Colfer had lost her hope.


	16. Chapter 15

Darren woke up to one of his boys, not entirely sure which one, singing quietly. "You are my heaven on Earth, you are my last, and my first..."

"And then I hear this voice inside..." the elder man sang back, a little too quiet for his tastes.

"Ave maria..." they sang together, as Kurt turned around, smiling his sweetest smile. "Good morning, handsome." He clambered, graceful as ever, into the bed beside his lover to press a kiss to the tip of his nose. "Breakfast is just cooking now..." He looked down to _Blaine's_ lips, and before he could initiate anything, he was being kissed, slow and sweet.

"You taste like heaven," Blaine said with a playful smile and a wink. He slipped his hands up his lover's sides, and Kurt pouted a little as he drew back.

"It's called toothpaste, Blaine. And _not-_" He moved Blaine's hands from his stomach to his lips. He pressed a kiss to each of his knuckles. "-So early in the morning." He tapped his lover's forehead and sealed their lips together for a chaste kiss. "Do you want orange or apple juice?"

* * *

For the rest of the day Darren was barely awake. He let Blaine take his body over and control him. He understood why Chris would feel so safe trapped inside of Kurt... it was like 'you' were barely there. Like there was an escape from every pain and torment imaginable. That person would take you over, and instead of it being their nightmare, it was their daydream. It was a dizzy daydream for Kurt and Blaine to be as they were with each other, alone, with every opportunity to play happy families, although it was kidnap and torture for Chris and Darren.

Darren loved the security Blaine gave him, just as much as he loathed it. The two of them were a unit now, though. Blaine kept Darren and Kurt safe, Darren kept Blaine and Chris as sane as he could. It was the same for Chris and Kurt... but Kurt, well, he'd taken over, because Chris had hidden away. Chris couldn't bear it anymore - and why should he? - so he hid behind a protective, nurturing boy who was having the time of his life, while keeping Chris from getting more emotionally, physically or mentally hurt.

The only time that Chris and Darren came out from their shells was at night, when Kurt and Blaine had exhausted themselves so much that all they could do was sleep. Protecting people was a hard job, they might subconsciously mention.

Darren's soft whisper of his own lover's name was what awoke their silent captor. He had been gone for what felt like weeks, or perhaps was weeks, but as soon as 'Chris' was whispered into the open air, he was back. What sounded like a computerized scream escaped the walls, and Darren awoke with his own scream. His arm felt like it was on fire - it had been so long, and it felt like the power had been put up. "What did I do?" a bewildered, panicking _Chris_ asked as he cradled the crying, whimpering Darren to his own chest.

_"YOU didn't do anything, beautiful boy. Your lover said another man's name in his sleep..."_

"Th-then shouldn't I get hurt..? Because he did something wrong?" He put on a hurt face and bit his lower lip as Darren continued to cry.

_"He never told you?"_ Chris whimpered a little and shook his head. _"He offered to take his own punishment. As long as I don't hurt you, he will take everything the two of you do wrong... Blaine. Look up."_

Darren did as he was told, eyes and cheeks shining with tears. "Y-yes, sir?"

_"Who is 'Chris?'"_

"M-my l- little sister... Christina, she's nine," he whimpered out as Chris went back to petting his hair. "I haven't seen him in months, and I-I just miss him so bad... I-I'm sorry for wanting more from you than you've already given us, I just... I miss my little sister..." He whimpered and hid his face in his lover's chest.

_"I-I'm sorry."_ For the first time, regret was in their captor's tone. True and honest regret. _"Chris is a man's name. I thought, perhaps, you were dreaming of another man..."_

"N-never! You can't honestly think that I would cheat on Kurt? He's... he's everything, he's all I ever wanted! I want to marry him, I want to have kids with him, I want to die in his arms, I want everything with him!" Blaine sounded panicked, and Kurt cooed quietly, pulling him closer. "I couldn't... I can't think of anyone but him! Only him and little Chrissie!"

_"I can see that now... I'm so sorry, beautiful boys. What do you want more than anything? Anything I can do to make it up to you, for being so silly."_

_'You can let us go,'_ they both thought.

"C-can we see our friends? How they are now..? The New Directions, the Warblers..." Blaine said at last.

_"Get some more sleep. I'll show you in the morning... sleep well, boys."_

Chris smiled, tearfully, down at his lover, who leaned up to press their lips together in a light kiss. "I love you..." he whispered, and Darren burst into tears. He hid his face in the brunette's shoulder, whispering over and over again 'Chris, Chris, Chris.' "I'm not leaving you, sweetheart. We're going to have all of that... everything. Everything from a proper first date, to a first house, to a first child... we're going to be amazing, okay? We _are_ amazing, and we wouldn't be without you..." It seemed that Kurt's voice had died down a little. After four days of being around twenty four hours a day, he was tired. Chris' voice was purely his - masculine and effeminate in all the right ways.

"I know, I know..." Darren sobbed out. "I love you, so, so much..." He clung to his lover and whispered four words in his ear. "Make love to me." He only mumbled his 'please.'

There was an electronic intake of breath, and a tightening around Chris' wrist. A warning. "Blainey... I don't... I don't want that. I want... I need you to make love to me... I don't... I can't..." Kurt trailed off and Darren pressed a kiss to his lover's protector's nose.

"And that's okay, too... just... I'm too tired right now... that's why I... but... tomorrow, okay?"

"Whenever you're ready." Darren and Blaine smiled and brought themselves in, to Chris and Kurt's lips.

"Let's get some sleep, okay?" Chris giggled a little and pulled the blankets up over their heads. "Hello." Chris just nuzzled their noses together.

"How does your arm feel?" he asked after a few minutes of warm silence.

"Very sore. But okay." He smiled and brushed their lips together. "I miss you," he whispered. "You disappeared."

"I know... I'm so sorry..." the brunette whispered back with a biter-sweetness in his eyes. "Kurt kept me safe... I'm not... I'm not ready to come out from hiding yet, Darren. Kurt knows what he's doing, all I know is that I love you, and that I need to get out. That's not enough to live on... I want to hide again."

"You can't. Chris, you can't. Blaine doesn't know how to protect me yet, or how to keep me safe or sound or happy. Only you can do that, please don't leave me again!" Darren was panicking, wide-eyed. He still kept his voice to the volume of only a breath, however.

Chris smiled a little. "I know. I was just about to continue, sweetheart... I want to hide again. But I won't. I need you, and Kurt needs you safe to make Blaine safe and happy. So we're sharing. You need to share, too, though, we can only take so many electric shocks, before we..."

"I know... I just... I can't... I want to get out of this as _me_. I don't want to unleash Blaine on the world..."

"We can't risk dying, Darren. Either of us. And that's what's going to happen unless we let sirs Blaine and Kurt be our shields in shining flamboyancy."

Darren felt tears trickled down his cheeks just a laugh bubbled in his throat. "I love _you_, Chris, so much."

"I love you, too..." Chris smiled that awkward smile of his, that was somehow still loving. It was the one he used when his first boyfriend had first said 'I love you,' but ten times brighter, and ten times darker, all in the same upturn of his lips.

* * *

The next day they were shown a video of the Warblers and the New Directions singing a cover of Regina Spektor's 'The Call.' Everyone looked happy, and held between Mister Schuester and Wes was a large golden trophy. Chris and Darren bit their lips - Glee had gone on well without them, apparently. Kurt and Blaine, however, were positively thrilled, so that was what was shown. They made love again that day, all soft words and gentle touches, which Darren and Chris almost had the heart to laugh at. They were too sad, too desperate, and too trapped for laughter, however. So they played along with their characters, and hoped it would release them, some day.


	17. Chapter 16

"Come what may, come what may... I will love you, until my dying day..." Kurt held the note, and burst into a fit of giggles as Blaine brought their lips together. Darren squeezed his lover's arse playfully, and whispered something filthy into his ear. Kurt just giggled some more, but Chris leaned in closer to whisper something filthy in retaliation. Darren and Blaine raised their eyebrows, and hoisted Kurt and Chris' legs up to wrap them around their shared waist. "Well if that's the case..." he growled, voice full of fun. He hoisted the man on his waist up a little higher and carried him into their bedroom, rather unceremoniously dumping him onto the bed.

Chris and Kurt laughed, and yanked their lovers down for a sweet, tongue-and-teeth filled kiss. "I love you," Chris said with a smile, tumbling Darren over on the bed so he was kneeling over his waist.

"And I love you," the two elder men retorted. They pouted a little and reached up to tangle their fingers into their lover's hair. "Kiss me," they ordered as a unit. Chris and Kurt? Well... how could they deny such a charming pair?

* * *

Chris nuzzled his cheek into Darren's stomach and let out a breathless laugh. "Wow," he whispered, and Kurt entwined his hand with Blaine's.

"Wow," the older man agreed. He smiled down at his lover, and brought their joined hands up to his lips. "How are you, sweetheart of mine?" Darren inquired with a playful chuckle.

"Go away, Bee, you know how fantastic I feel," Kurt ordered with a deep pout. He still laughed and leaned up for a kiss. "I feel like I'm in love with you," Chris whispered onto Darren's lips, before slipping back down to Blaine's chest.

"This works," Darren stated, a little confused. He felt the familiar stabs in his chest every time he thought of how used they were, but he acknowledged, now, that as far as their roles could go, he was finally settling into his own. He and Blaine switched places on a momentary basis, and shared Chris and Kurt as well as they could. The 'Blaine' part of his mind was fully developed, and trained, as a defense mechanism, that kept Darren honest-to-god safe.

"This does work," Chris agreed. They were both utterly bewildered, but they were safe in each others, and Blaine and Kurt's, arms. They couldn't get hurt, as long as they kept their routine.

So, for the next few millenniums, as they would count the days, they fell utterly into their routine: Wake up in each others arms. One cook breakfast for the other. Serenade each other. Play card games. Read books to each other. Cuddle. Talk serious matters with each other. Serenade each other. Cuddle. Cook dinner together. 'Make love.' Sleep, and repeat.

They functioned as well as they could as they were. Switching between personalities, crying at night and clinging to each other because they felt so violated. Everything was let out in the open, just as long as it was in character. It worked. Somehow, they managed to push aside all of the pain, all of the torment, and with the help of Kurt and Blaine, did not experience any more. The hardest thing was knowing that people were _watching them, consistently._ They were on display. It made them feel disgusted, and used, but as Darren would one day say: 'As a performer, has it ever been any different?'

They were safe. Not content, not happy, but they were safe. They were used to life as it was.

One night, they opened the fridge to find everything was new. New bottle of milk, new eggs, new bread. They didn't question it, just found it curious. Their captor generally waited until they were about to starve before giving them anything new, but no, not this time.

So, they cooked dinner together (Darren's arms around Chris' waist from behind him, their hands moving together) and after dinner, they settled down on their bed, hands linked and shy smiled on their lips. "I feel... I feel like I did when I first kissed you," Blaine murmured, stroking a strand of hair back from his lover's forehead. Kurt hummed a little and raised a questioning eyebrow. "I just... I feel as if... I was so tired that day. I had been up all night studying, but I knew I absolutely had to tell you that day, or else you might... slip away. I was very exhilarated - I felt like there was a chance you would like me, back, and I was just so... scared. Scared that I was going to do or say something even more wrong to mess things up even more. Then... I was so,so, terrified before I got into room. But... I stepped into that room, and I just... I knew. I knew that no matter what you said, all I needed was for you to be in my life. No matter how small my role was in your life, I needed to be there. You were just so... elegant, and emotional, and beautiful... you looked so purely _you._ I figured out then that I was in love with you, Kurt. I loved you so much then, and it was overwhelming - I didn't know how to manage it, but now... now I love you even more, and it just feels _right._ It's right, and that, for me, is more perfect than anything else I have _ever_ felt." Blaine let out a deep breath and blushed as Kurt's eyes followed him.

Chris chuckled a little. "I love you..." he and his other personality whispered. "I love you, so much. I can't imagine my life without you in it, Blaine. You mean... the world to me. You ARE my world." He laid back on the bed, and summoned for his lover to join him.

Darren rested his head on Chris' chest and pulled the blankets up over their legs. "I... thank you."

"Thank _you,"_ the brunette retorted. "You've saved my life so many times, Blaine. Emotionally, physically, mentally, literally... you just... you're my life. You're my life, you're the thing that keeps me breathing. And I love you. I love you, have I mentioned?"

Blaine let out a breathless laugh, and Darren nuzzled into his own lover. "I love you, too... let's... let's just hold each other tonight, 'kay? I want to be close to you. But... just like this. You holding me is just as perfect as the two of us in the first place."

"'Kay... 'night, love."

"Goodnight, sweetheart..." The lights didn't dim, as they usually would, and Darren groaned his protest. He pulled the blankets up over his head, to Chris' chin. "Love 'ou."

"'Ove 'ou 'oo."

* * *

They woke up to blaring lights, and a strangely familiar noise. Everything smelt... different. There was pollen in the air, smoke in the air, _people_ in the air. It was cold, and biting on their soft flesh. There was a different light. It was yellow and white, instead of pale blue. There was _noise_ everywhere. What sounded like cars, trucks, birds, trains, animals, _people_. It was everywhere.

Chris couldn't feel Darren anywhere. He didn't want to open his eyes - the light was too bright already. That was when he realized the most significant thing yet: His bracelet was gone. "Blaine," he whimpered, and he heard a mumble in return. He couldn't figure where his lover was - he just needed him, so badly.

He struggled, but eventually, he opened his eyes.

He screamed.

The light almost blinded him, and everything was so foreign - he had never seen the world as it was now. "_Darren_!" he screamed, and a hand wrapped around his arms, and voices buzzed around him, but that hand wasn't Darren's, and those voices _weren't_ Darren's. "Darren!" His eyes were closed again - the sun burned.

He heard a returned scream: "_Chris!"_

"Sh, little one," a familiar voice murmured to him. It sounded like... but it couldn't be. "Darren's fine."

Chris just kept screaming for his lover. "Where is he? I need him, where is he? HE needs ME! _DARREN!_"

He felt a sharp stinging in his arm, and the world went blurry.


	18. Chapter 17

Darren awoke to Chris' shivering body pressing up against his. His eyes fluttered open, and he smiled a little - it had all been a dream. Of course it had been. They were in a warm, comfortable bed, and the lights were as low as they could be without being off. It felt like their safe place. "Hey, baby..." he whispered, voice gravelly with sleep. "What's wrong?" he brushed his hands over the boy's back, kissing his forehead.

Chris whimpered and buried his face in Darren's throat. "The bracelets are gone, D-B-Dare. They're gone," he whispered back. "I don't know what to do. I'm so scared, I don't know where we are, I don't know what we're meant to do!" Hot tears poured down Darren's throat and onto his barely-clothed shoulder. "Tell me what to do..."

Darren whimpered, and felt panic rising deep within him. He reached out to find Blaine in his mind, who immediately responded. "Sh, baby..." he murmured to his precious little Kurt. "It's okay... it's okay, we got sent back home. Just hold me, okay? Let's just hold onto each other. Everything will go fine."

Chris tried to find Kurt, but he was gone. Internally he was screaming Kurt's name, just trying to find his defense mechanism. He was gone, though. He had disappeared. Chris took comfort in the familiarity of Blaine and Darren's actions, and clung to him.

Darren scattered kisses over his forehead and head, holding him as tightly as he could without hurting him. Eventually, the two fell asleep, buried in each other's arms.

* * *

"Chris... Chris, little one," a gentle, yet firm voice penetrated Chris' dreams. "Chris, you need to wake up." The man's eyes fluttered open, and he cried out when he realized that Darren wasn't with him.

His words could barely be made out, but the gist of what he said was: "Where's Darren? Please, please don't make us be apart!"

A soft hand cupped Chris' cheek. "Darren is right next door. He's safe, and you're safe," Mister Ryan Murphy said quietly. "I don't need you to talk to me, but I really would like it if you did."

"Ry-Ryan..?" Chris whispered as tears rolled down his cheeks. "Are you... are you real? Where's sir, what happened to him?"

"I'm very real, little one. Sir has just been found, and he's been locked up. He's not going to be telling you or your lover what to do any time soon." He offered his hand to Chris, who took it very, very hesitantly. "Do you want to talk?"

Chris shook his head, instead lunging forwards and burying his face into Ryan's neck. "Are you sure you're real?" he asked as tears stained his designer shirt.

"I'm real, little one. I'm here, flesh and blood."

"Where's 'here'..?"

"You're in a a hospital, Chris."

"Wh-why?"

"Your arm is very badly burned, fresh burns, I mean, and you're very badly mal-nutritioned... and you were very, very scared. You were screaming, and you're not accustomed to real life anymore. In your official papers, you said you wanted either your mother or I to decide what to happen to you in a crisis situation, and your mother was... unavailable."

"Where is she? Where's my mummy? I want to see my mama!"

"She's in hospital, too, Chris..."

"Wh-what for? Is she okay?"

"She's in labour, little one..."

"L-labour?"

Chris was shaking, but he still looked up, fearfully, into Ryan's eyes. "My mama's having a baby?" he squeaked out. He felt his mind closing in on him. "My mummy's dead!" he cried. "You don't have to pretend she's not, she died when I was eight! I'm sort of used to it by now, but you don't have to rub it in!" Kurt yelled. Chris cried out and clutched his head in his hands. "My mummy..." he whispered. "Is it a boy or a girl? When was she pregnant? Wh-what..? How long were we gone? _Darren!"_ he screamed.

"Sh, sh! Chris, Chris, it's okay! Darren is with his big brother. Your mummy is giving birth to a girl. She's been pregnant for nine solid months... and you were gone for six of them," Ryan said quietly, grasping Chris' hand in both of his own. "Do you need me to leave you? Is this too much?"

Chris just cried. He cried, and he cried, and Ryan eventually took the boy into his arms and cradled him to his own chest.

Eventually Chris' sobs died down, and as they did, the door opened. Darren ran into the room and _pushed_ Ryan aside, taking Chris from him and holding him tight. "Chris, Chris, Chris, Chris, Chris..." he whispered again and again. The brunette began to cry again, but still put his arms around his lover and clung to him.

"I love you, I love you!" he cried as Darren lifted him.

Ryan watched with curiosity, and a little fear. He didn't approve of how dependent the two had grown on each other - how could he? It seemed unhealthy. Yet, he understood. He understood, in his way, what they had been through, and what it meant for them.

"I love you, too... I'm never ever letting them take you from me again," he stated. "I need you. I need you now, I need you always!"

They both leaned in for a kiss, which was full of warm tongues and clattering teeth. They were both manic, almost shouting words of devotion and need. Their eyes were wide, and blood-shot, as if they were high. Their grip on each other was shaky, but firm. "I love you," Darren whispered onto his lips as they drew away from each other.

"I love you, too," Chris whimpered out, burying his face in the man's shoulder as the same was done to him. "I love you so much, I'm only alive because of you, you are _perfect_, I love you!"

"You're perfect..." Darren protested, mumbling a little into his shoulder. "I love you, too. I love you... I love you so much. But I'm still so scared. I'm scared of K-Kurt, I'm scared of _B-Blaine_. Especially Blaine."

"Me, too..." Chris whispered. He had to repeat himself when Darren said he didn't hear him. "But Kurt terrifies me. I just..." His eyes went wide and he removed his head from Darren's shoulder. "I just lashed out at Ryan, but it wasn't _me._ It was... it was Kurt, I'm sure of it, and I'm s-so scared, Dee..."

"I know, babe. But... but we'll sort this out. Book-and-play set, right?" the elder man asked with a small smile.

"Book-and-play set," Chris confirmed with an identical, hopeful smile.


	19. Chapter 18

"How are they?" Andrew asked his boss quietly, watching the two with those shining grey eyes of his through the glass.

"Bad. Very, very bad... Chris keeps switching between Kurt and Chris, and Darren... Darren's merged with Blaine to the extent that it's like they're one person," Chuck told him. He gripped Mia's hand as she cried silently.

"Weren't... when did you two get back from Boston?" Andrew asked.

"Just a few hours ago. I got a call that Darren had been found, and we rushed back... mum and dad are still coming, and-"

"Andrew," Ryan said quietly. "Can I get your help for a minute? I need to carry some paperwork, and I just don't have the arms for it at the moment."

The redhead nodded without question and followed the man into a side room, where, he saw Ryan was crying. "Sir?"

"Please call my husband. Tell him... tell him I'm just tired of everything, and I need him here, because I need to keep going, no matter how I'm feeling. I'll deal with the paperwork, I just... can't talk much more right now." He sniffled a little, and offered the boy a smile. "Thank you."

"Of course, sir," Andrew smiled at him, a little sad, and scurried away.

Darren was spoon-feeding his lover tomato soup, alternating between mouthfuls for himself, then for Chris. "I don't know what to do," he whispered as the brunette swallowed.

"What do you mean, sweetie?" Chris pushed the bowl of soup aside, and clambered into Darren's lap. He put both arms around his neck and rested their foreheads together. "Do about what?"

"Life," the man choked out. "I just... we have no... life outside of each other, now, and I... half of me hates it, and knows it's wrong to be so dependent on one person, but the other half of me just adores you so much... it couldn't care less." Chris was still, but his eyes were flickering with different emotions. A mix of fear and love, pure opposites, were dominating.

"I don't want you to leave me," he whispered. "I want Blaine to leave Darren, and Kurt to leave Chris. I'm acting... I'm acting just like him. I'm barely me any more! But you can't leave me." He buried his face in Darren's shoulder, and the elder man cooed quietly.

"Love, I'm not leaving you. I'm... I need... we need to get... other things in our lives. We need to ween off of each other, so we can be like normal lovers... reliant, but not... too reliant," he said into his hair.

"That's never going to happen and you know it. We'll get out book and play set, if that's what you want, but I can't... you can't..!" Chris began to cry, and literally hit himself for it. Darren grabbed his arms and kissed him into silence.

"Don't tell me we're never going to be normal," he whispered onto his lips. "Please, baby, don't. I want us to have our ever-after. We deserve it, we've done enough! Please... please..."

"Please don't pretend we're going to be okay. You're setting us both up for let-down, Dee... I need you at my side. I can't... you know how scared we got. I need you, you need me. Please don't set us up for more pain. We've had enough. We have, we've had so much pain, baby..."

Darren buried his face in Chris' shoulder and nodded. "You're always right... you're always right, Chris, and I hate you for it sometimes."

Chris pushed him off with wide eyes and a panicked look. "You hate me?" he whispered, tears pouring down his cheeks, and arms wrapped around his own waist. Darren's eyes got even wider, and he shook his head.

"Chris! Sweetheart, no! I hate... I hate that some of the things you say are one hundred percent right..." Chris' body crumpled forwards into his arms, and he was sobbing, absolutely out of control.

"Never say that again! Don't you dare scare me like that, Darren Everett Criss!" Chris cried, beating his fists into Darren's chest. "I can't fucking live without you! I can't live without you loving me, Darren! Don't you dare scare me like that again!"

Darren cradled him to his chest, letting himself be hit and screamed at without a flinch. He just rubbed Chris' back and cooed soft words into his ears. He kissed all of the most fragile spots on his neck, making him relax almost immediately.

Chris was stilled in Darren's arms, clinging to him as his neck was caressed with chapped lips. He slowly nuzzled his cheek against the side of his lover's head. Darren began to suck on a spot below his ear, the small amount of pain grounding the brunette man. He moaned gently as Darren licked over the bruise. He slipped his hands up his sides and into his hair, tugging gently. "Fuck... make love to me. Fuck me, whatever, I need you," he said firmly. Darren nodded onto his throat, and pulled Chris' shirt up and over his head.

They lay together, Chris' head on Darren's chest and their hands entwined. "We can't fix everything with sex, as fantastic as it would be if we could," the elder said quietly, stroking the boy's hair.

"Hm. Yeah, I know," Chris murmured. "It helps, though. Makes me know you're not going anywhere. And I don't... I don't know what else we can do right now. They said... anti-depressants. They should help with the nightmares, and the separation anxiety, and the fear... but... that's not going to fix everything."

"I know... I know..." He kissed Chris' hand. He groaned. "Can't we just have sex again? Will that fix it?"

Chris raised his eyebrows and smiled a little. "Too tired, love. Just... we need to talk through everything that happened with the psychs. Talking might help... we need to 'let it all out.' And I think you need to start writing songs, because I want to write a fictional novel based around all this... not. I don't want to talk. I wanna stay with you, and see mummy, and her baby... my little sister... I want to apologize to your parents, Chuck and Mia, and I want to see Lea, Amber, Chord, Ashleigh... everyone. I want... I want to see Joshua."

Darren tensed. "Your... your boyfriend?"

"Ex boyfriend. I'd... aren't you my boyfriend? Anyway, I want to... apologize to him, and make sure that he knows that this isn't his fault... and tell him that I don't love him anymore. I love you, now... I love you, so much. And if you aren't my boyfriend I want you to be."

"I am your boyfriend... and I love you, too... but... I don't... I can't let you see him Chris... I'm so scared. I never liked him, he was... and you loved him, and I need you, and you'd ask me to leave the room, and god knows what would happen!"

"Sh, it's okay.. it's okay, sweetheart. I won't see him. I only need you. Only you."

"And that's what wrong with us, isn't it?" Darren asked, slowly. They both remained silent for a while.

"I don't want to get better if it is."


	20. Chapter 19

"Sweetie... Chris, boo, wake up," Lea ordered. She stroked his arm very lightly, and he smiled a little.

"Darren?" he asked, snuggling further into his lover's side.

"No, Chris, it's Lea. Not the one you're cuddling, the one stroking your arm." Chris shot up with wide eyes, startling Darren from his sleep.

"L-Lea..." the brunette whispered, looking the girl up and down. She had lost a lot of weight - a lot of weight. She looked older, and more worn, but she was still positively beautiful. "Lea, you can't be here, no no no no no, I'm just... we're too-"

Darren rubbed his back carefully, and kissed his shoulder. "It's okay, baby, she doesn't care. She just wants to know you're okay..." he murmured.

Lea looked absolutely horrified, horrified and upset. The two were basically one entity, the way that Chris was leaning into Darren, the way they whispered and nodded to each other. "I-I'm sorry..." Lea and Chris said in unison. They shared a small smile. "I've missed you so badly," the girl whispered. "Can I hug you, please?"

Chris immediately slid out of the bed and put his arms around her waist. She cradled his head in one hand and stroked his hair with the other. "I missed you, too. I wanted you to be there with us, but I didn't, because you know what that would mean, but god, Lea!" He held her close, and kissed her shoulder. "I missed you so much, Elphaba." He looked up with a watery smiled, and she kissed his forehead.

"I love you, Glinda."

Chris flinched back into Darren's waiting arms. "I'm not..."

"He's not... I'm not... we're not... meant to love anyone else, Lea..."

"It's not... we're not trying to love anyone else now. We..." Darren looked teary-eyes, and Chris cooed quietly, pulling the man into his arms and stroking the back of his neck. "We were told, basically, that if we loved anyone else, we would get hurt... so..." Chris looked at her with a pleading type of hope in his eyes. He didn't want to lose her to his heart being closed off to everyone but Darren. He would probably find, when the time came, that he couldn't even open up to his little sisters. He was curious as to how Darren went with Chuck and Mia - with Ryan all that he felt was scared.

"It's okay, bub. You two take your time, okay? I'm only allowed to be here for a few minutes... but I missed you both madly. I was wishing you were both somehow here again-" They both chuckled at her 'Phantom' reference. "-and now I've got you back - at least you're... a bit safer now. I can sleep easy." She smiled and offered her hands to the men. They each took one of her hands, and Chris brought the one in his to his lips to kiss it gently.

"Thank you, Lea," Darren said quietly, curling up in a little ball on Chris' side. He looked so small - so scared. Lea brushed his hair back from his eyes, and, very carefully and slowly, kissed his forehead.

"Any time, sweethearts. You rest up and keep singing, okay? Therapy is best conducted via music. I have to go, but I'll see you again soon." She let go of them and blew them a kiss as she left the room.

Darren was shivering, clinging to Chris as if he was a life-line, as he was. "I'm scared. Last time... last time I even said someone else's name I got this!" He offered Chris his heavily scarred arm. It was covered in bandages, but little spots of red, brown and pink poked out at his hands and upper arms. "I don't... I'm safe with you... but I miss everyone so badly. I get so scared, though. Wh-what if... what if one of them had a role in all this?" He was close to tears again.

"Sweetheart..." Chris pulled his lover into his lap and kissed him rather heatedly, effectively ceasing the flow of his tears. "It's not any of them, I promise... we know it's a man from Boston. It certainly isn't any of our families, it's definitely not the cast, or the StarKids... we definitely... you said we need to try to get better. And that means... we have to let other people in... no matter how scary it is... the psychiatrists want to give us some time, but we'll need to let them in too." Darren nodded.

"I know. But I'm... I'm panicking... I don't... I'm terrified. Anyone who's not... you... is just..."

"Sh, it's okay... I know... I'm scared, too, but... I trust our friends and family."

Darren hummed a little, and nodded. "Do you... do you still want to see Josh? B-because... he scares me more than anyone, he always has... but if I see him, I think I'll be able to see anyone."

Chris considered his words for a few moments. "I won't know what to say... 'hey, baby, I'm sorry, but I got kidnapped and now I'm in love with someone else?' That can't go down well..."

"Were you ever in love with him..?" Darren asked, nuzzling against his throat and breathing him in.

"I don't know. The only love I've really known is with you, and god knows... we're different."

"Good different or bad different?"

"Just... different. Both, I guess." Chris sighed a little and ran his hands through Darren's curly locks. "If you want us to see Josh, that's okay. I need to... apologize, or... explain, or something..." He sighed again and laid down, pulling his lover down on top of him. He looked into Darren's eyes, a curious expression on his face. He stroked the man's hair back from his forehead and kissed it gently. "Let's ask to see Josh, okay? I'm... I'm comfortable with you, I'm safe with you, and vice versa. It's not like either of us are emotionally or physically unsafe with him." He smiled a little and pecked his lover's lips.

Darren hummed contentedly and rested his head on Chris' chest. "Can I sleep for now, please? I just... I'm so tired, and my arm is burning. Is-is that okay?"

The younger man went wide eyed. "Sweetheart, you never have to ask my permission to do anything. Especially not something like that," he said. He tilted Darren's head up with a fingertip. "And if your arm is hurting so bad you needed to say something, we have doctors for a reason!" He was fussing, he knew, but he also knew Darren needed it.

"Sleep first?" the elder of the two asked hopefully. Chris expression melted into a soft smile, and he rolled them over so Darren was on the bottom. He positioned the pillows underneath Darren's head, and kissed his lips.

"I'll go ask to see Josh, okay, sweetie?" he stroked his hands back through Darren's hair, and in that moment, it struck him: He and Darren had never been that close outside of work, but there had always been a silent admiration - an adoration. That had never changed. The under-lying base of their relationship was how much they needed each other, but it wasn't just need. It was needing the person. Chris needed Darren - he adored him, he cherished him, and without Darren being exactly who he was, he wouldn't need him at all. It was Darren he was in love with - not the fear, not the desperation for another person in his life. Just for that, Chris pressed their lips together once more in a sweet, clinging kiss. "I love you."

"Hm, love 'ou too," Darren mumbled, his eyes already shut. Chris chuckled and slid off the side of the bed, scrambling around to find a pair of socks in their mock-bedroom. He hated having cold feet.

So, once he had found a pair of socks, and made sure Darren was sleeping not-too-fitfully, he walked out of the room to their 'guard's' room, next to theirs. "Mister?" Chris asked quietly, shaking a little bit. He refused to call anyone 'sir' of course.

"What is it, Chris? Are you okay, is Darren?" the woman asked in a worried tone. She smiled when the brunette man shook his head.

"We just... we want to see my ex boyfriend. We need to talk to Joshua Preston... can that be... can that be arranged?" he asked shyly. He was shuffling his feet, looking at the ground.

"Chris..." she whispered, looking down herself. "I need to tell you something. How about you sit down?" She indicated her couch and he sat with wide eyes.

"What's wrong, is he okay?"

"No. No, he's not... he... I'm not sure how to say this, Chris." She sat down next to him, making sure not to come too close.

He bit his lower lip. He was fragile, but how drastically horrific could it be? "Just... tell me." He had slipped into his 'Kurt' tone of voice again.

"I'm so sorry, Chris... Joshua... Joshua was the one who abducted you and Darren."


	21. Chapter 20

Chris awoke to a throbbing pain in his head, and the sound of Darren whimpering in his sleep. He tried to turn onto his side, but there were restraints on his wrists. He tensed, and suddenly, everything hit him. Josh. Sweet, loving, over-attentive Josh who knew exactly what he needed whenever he needed it, who would kiss him openly and joyfully in front of his parents... that had all been a lie. He had wanted nothing more than to get to Kurt and Blaine. It was never about Chris, never. Chris had trusted him with almost everything, and Josh had thrown that aside in the most horrific, repulsive way possible. Chris was going to give his virginity to Josh, but Josh would have preferred that Blaine took that from him. He had put them through so much... so much pain, in every way possible.

Darren began to scream. "Chris... Chris, baby, no!" He was thrashing around in the sick bed, cold sweating in his sleep. Chris' eyes widened, and he tried to turn, yet again, only to cut his wrists a little on the dull plastic edge of the restraint.

"SOMEONE HELP!" Chris yelled, struggling against his restraints and murmuring sweet words to his lover. "It's okay, sweetheart, I'm right here, I've got you. Nothing's gonna hurt us now..."

Their 'guard' (More a psychologist than anything) came in with a syringe in one hand. "Fucking hell, just wake him up, he doesn't need sedatives!" Chris growled, and she froze for a moment, before she began to shake Darren, almost violently. The man thrashed out, arms and legs coming far too close to her body, but still, she shook him until his screams came to an abrupt halt.

"Chris?" Darren whispered, flinching back from their guardian. The woman stepped back, hands raised, almost defensively.

"He's right beside you, Darren. He's restrained."

The young man turned, and immediately straddled Chris' waist to lay his head down on his chest. "He raped you," he whispered. Chris flinched. "Then he left you hanging there as he d-did the same to me. You tr-tried to stop him, a-and-" Darren began to cry burning hot tears against his pre-heated flesh. Chris cooed quietly, wishing he could reach up to touch him. Without a moment's hesitation, the unnamed psychiatrist unlocked Chris' restraints and pulled them aside. The brunette immediately went to stroking Darren's hair with one hand, and caressing his cheek with the other.

"It was just a dream, baby..." he whispered, and the moment he said it, he knew it was bullshit. It was so close as to what had happened to them. It was like secondary rape. Two unwilling people being forced to have sex... that's what it was at first, at least, and if it weren't for the first few times, they would never have grown accustomed to it or accepted it. "It was a very scary, very accurate dream, but it was just a dream... he can't hurt us now, he's locked away..." Chris felt like screaming. For the first time, he was angry at Darren. Darren had to deal with a nightmare, Chris had to deal with the trauma of knowing the boy who he had almost become engaged to had kidnapped, tortured (in every sense of the word) and raped him. HE needed to be comforted, he needed to wake up in Darren's arms to be told that it would be okay. "Let's just hold onto each other, okay? No letting go. We need each other. You just hold onto me, okay, baby? I'm right here, you're right here, we're safe now... jest get back to sleep, baby..." he ordered.

"O-okay," Darren whispered back, laying down beside his lover and hiding his head in his shoulder. "Sing to me?" he begged.

Chris kissed his head. He couldn't stay angry at him - he knew how terrifying the nightmares were. "Come on, skinny love, just last a year... just pour a little salt, we were never here... my my my, my my my, my my my, oh my my my... staring at the sink of blood and crushed veneer..." he sang quietly, into his hair. "And I told you to be patient, and I told you to be fine... and I told you to be balanced, and I told you to be kind, and if all your love was wasted, then who the hell am I? 'Cause now I'm breaking all bridges at the end of your lines..." Darren sighed, body relaxing in Chris' loose hold. The brunette stared at his lover for a few moments, and it struck him just how lucky he was to have Darren. Beautiful, kind, funny, witty, talented Darren. Darren who he loved more than anything else in the world - even more than he loved his sweet little sister. Darren who protected him. Darren who offered his life, his body, to protect Chris. Darren who had done everything to make every touch mean something and poured his heart and soul into making sure that Chris knew how loved he was.

How could he have been angry at him? Darren had done everything for him, and absolutely nothing wrong. He had been so strong, now he needed Chris to be strong for him, and vice versa. Chris sighed, content, almost, and rested his cheek on the top of Darren's head. He closed his eyes, everything and everyone else forgotten.

Darren took Chris' hand and smiled a little, pulling him closer and basking in the sunlight. "It's nice being in a private hospital... not so many people..."

"Mhm. Can... can we go on the swings?" Chris asked shyly, indicating the small playground.

"Race you!" Darren let go of him and ran ahead, little legs propelling him at a surprising speed.

Chris giggled and chased after him, very, very easily overtaking him. He slowed down a little when they reached the sandy area of the playground, and when Darren passed him, he tackled him down onto the ground. He trapped Darren underneath him and kissed him. Darren giggled. "Cheater," he whispered against his lips.

"I love you," Chris reminded him.

"I love you, too." They smiled and brushed noses. There was a clicking sound, which they ignored rather pointedly, favouring holding each other tightly. "Hm, love you so much..."

"Love you so much, too..." Chris kissed each of his cheeks and ran his hands up his scarred arm. Darren flinched, but still let Chris do as he pleased. "I think you're beautiful. All of you."

"You, too, Chris." Darren offered him a sweet smile.

"I mean it, Dee... you're... you're so beautiful." He pecked his lips.

"Th-thank you..."

"Any time." Chris stood up with a bright smile on his lips, and offered his lover a hand, which was taken, gratefully.

Darren Criss and Chris Colfer found!

Criss and Colfer, or should we say 'CrissColfer?', were found two days ago outside Paramount Studios, covered in blood, scars and garbage. They wee screaming each others' names, and, oh, 'Kurt' and 'Blaine,' too. Were so curious as to what happened to our two favourite 'Glee' boys. Obviously, they were abducted, and going by the videos released earlier in the year, they were forced to act out scenes as their characters, but that tells us very little. We asked FOX, Paramount Studios, Glee producer Ryan Murphy, and writers of 'Glee,' but we have found out nothing. So, if any of you know anything what-so-ever, please don't hesitate to tell us! We're doing a collection for Darren and Chris of cards, gifts and general well-wishes, so, if you want to give them anything, whether it be a message or a box of chocolates, send it to the address below!

Criss and Colfer, a couple at last!

Two of our reporters were visiting _ Private Hospital in L.A. earlier today, and they stumbled across... you guessed it! Our two favourite Glee boys. Now, putting their health first: Long burn marks trailed in patterns up their arms, and they have both lost a lot of weight - Chris is down to about 120 pounds, and Darren's probably down to 115! If that's a diet, it's gone way too far... But seriously, when we have contact with them, we're going to give them all of our best. Poor boys. But now, looking on the bright side, it looks as if they've found love within one another! These shots (taken on a iPhone, ignore the quality) were taken by a reporter of ours who is actually on vacation right now, so special thanks to her for sending these photos in. As you can see, Darren and Chris are certainly going down the flirtatious, romantic track of boyfriends... or maybe even lovers? Hmm! We're not quite sure what to think of this: Darren has always claimed to be straight, and no matter how much he loves and flirts with Chris, we can't help but think that maybe, just maybe, Chris is getting strung along -we'd absolutely hate that, poor thing! Let's just trust Chris and Darren and say they are in a happy gay relationship, we're still not sure what to think! Does Darren's sweet humour match Chris' witty retorts? Are they the right heights to kiss standing up? Are they really going to even each other out properly? Are they too similar? Are they too opposite? All questions we want answers for. So, until next time, keep sending in gifts and messages for them!

When Chris woke up screaming, Darren was already holding him, 'shush'ing him and whispering soft words into his hair. When Darren woke up screaming, Chris was already holding him, singing quietly and running his hands through his hair. They weren't recovered, not to any extent, but they were learning how to manage the pain. They had been put on anti-depressants and anti-anxiety medications, and slowly, other people were trickling back into their life. It started with Mia, Chuck, Lea and Amber visiting them for a lunch date.

"So..." Chris hid his face, looking down. His hand was shaking in Darren's, and he couldn't bear to face Mia.

Mia just chuckled a little and smiled. "Chris, sweetie, it's okay. I'm not angry - Darren and I talked while you were with Ryan. I knew from the moment that I saw those videos that Darren wasn't mine anymore. You need to relax. Dare and I are friends, as are you and I. Now come over here and hug me," she ordered. Chris smiled a little and looked up, letting go of Darren to walk over and pulling the woman into his arms. She laughed into his shoulder, and rubbed his back with one gentle hand. "No hard feelings from me, okay, sweetie?"

He smiled and nodded at her, retreating back to Darren's side and putting both arms around his waist. "Thank you," he whispered. The elder man stroked his hair and put one arm around him.

"You're first here," he told Mia. The girl nodded and smirked,

"I noticed."

"No need to get smart!"

"I'm always smart, Dare-bear."

Darren stuck his tongue out at her and pulled Chris into a proper hug. "It's okay, sweetheart..." he murmured into his ear. "No-one's going to hurt us here, they can't..." The brunette nodded, but still buried his face into Darren's shoulder, fighting off tears that he couldn't explain.

"Is he okay..?"

"He'll be fine," Darren promised. "Just shy." He smiled and kiss Chris' head. The door opened again, Amber and Lea coming in with bouquets in hand. "Amber and Lea are here, Chris. Come on, it's okay..." he whispered.

The brunette moved away, shaking slightly. He offered a small smile to Amber and Lea as Darren moved behind him and put his arms around his waist, and propped his chin on Chris' shoulder. "Chuck's just parking," Lea told them, placing the flowers down on the table. "How are you, sweethearts?"

"We're fine," Darren replied, smiling as Chris' hands closed in over his. "How are you lovely ladies?"

"I'm well, thank you," Lea chirped.

"I'm okay, thanks, Darren. Chris?" Amber walked to Chris' side and opened her arms for him. "You've gotten shy, boo."

Chris nodded, and, hesitantly, let go of Darren to hug her. She smiled and hid her face in his chest, clinging to him, and close to tears. "I missed you so much," she said.

"I've missed you, too," he murmured. His tone was full of hesitance, but it was true - Amber was one person he would have given anything to see, to have hold him. Now, he had her, and all he wanted was to be back with Darren. He hated himself for that.

When Chuck came, Darren separated himself from Chris, desperately trying to focus on his brother. He couldn't know how scared it made his lover.


	22. Chapter 21

Chris went to bed without Darren at his side, that night. Darren was still talking music with Chuck when Chris curled up around himself on the bed. When the elder man did come to bed, he put both arms around his lover from behind, kissing the back of his neck. "You disappeared," he whispered.

The younger man considered ignoring him. "I was tired," he said at last. "And you were busy."

"You're angry at me," Darren said gently, turning Chris over in his arms.

Chris shook his head. He hummed. "No. I'm upset with you. You know how badly I needed you, and you still l-left me."

"I thought that was what you wanted," Darren said with a gentle sigh. "I thought... you kept saying we need to learn to be apart from each other, and finally we had other people around... I thought... I'm sorry, sweetheart. I only wanted to do what was best."

Chris hummed again and rested his cheek on Darren's neck, chin tucked in over his shoulder. "We needed to do it slowly, Darren..! We needed... to be around other people together, then, slowly start spending time alone! You have no idea how scared I felt after you left me with the girls! I couldn't hold onto you, I couldn't be assured that you were alive, and there, and safe and well!" he whisper-cried.

Darren flinched. "I-I'm sorry... I didn't... I was scared, too, I felt so alone, but I just... I thought it was what you wanted. I thought you wanted me to be stronger for you..."

"I wanted us to go at our pace!"

"I'm so sorry," Darren whispered, close to tears. Chris stilled completely and remained silent. He took Darren's hands into his own and squeezed them gently. It was a silent sign of forgiveness.

"I'm still upset," Chris whispered after five minutes or so. "But I forgive you. And I'm sorry I didn't make myself clearer..."

"There's nothing to be sorry-" He yawned. "-for."

"Get some sleep, lover," Chris ordered, tangling their legs up and smiling a little.

"Mmkay."

-

Chris woke to his lover screaming. He basically jumped up and out of the bed, to see Darren's half-naked body thrashing, shining with cold sweat. "_Darren!"_ he shouted. He didn't dare touch him. "Darren, wake up!"

The man snapped up, eyes wide and cheeks stained with tears. "_Chris_," he whispered. "You're alive? You're okay?" he whispered, clambering to his knees and pulling the man into his arms, face buried in Chris' strong, warm chest. The younger man looked shocked, but, tentatively, he tangled his fingers into his lover's hair, stroking his scalp gently.

"I'm fine, baby... I'm right here, I'm safe. We're both safe," he whispered, his her hand working circles into Darren's back. Chris kissed the top of his head as he began to sob. "Sh, Dare... it's okay... it's okay, really... we're right here, we're safe. We're healing..."

"Tell me the plan," Darren whimpered. "What are we going to do when we get better?"

"We're going to do it slowly," Chris whispered into his hair. "Day by day we're going to get better, and as we do, we're going to start writing. We're going to write everything - flashbacks, thoughts, music... we're going to narrate everything that happened to us, until it's all gone. We'll still have nightmares, still be shy, but we won't flinch every time we're parted, because we'll have gotten stronger. We'll keep getting stronger, every day... but in the meanwhile, we'll get married, in New York, and settle down into a quieter life. No press interviews, no 'G-Glee...' just us and our friends, and our music. We'll adopt two children - one girl and one boy - who have had a rough past, too. So that we can help them recover, too, so that they can grow up and have amazing lives... we'll be discreet about it, but get my book published, and a few months later, we'll release our play, which will, of course, be an influential hit which will set us for life, and in the meantime, warn children not to go out in the woods alone, and give people an insight into what life can be like..." He kissed Darren's head again. "We'll live for a long time, and be the best fathers to our children... we'll be madly in love, and go through every stage of a relationship that a person can. But we'll always be together. Every day we'll see each other, and every day we'll treasure each other... because we're worth being treasured."

Darren's sobs had died down, and he nodded into Chris' chest. "I love you so much," he whispered.

"I love you, too, baby," was the soft response. "You feeling better?"

"Much." Darren looked up and smiled, leaning in to press their lips together. "You... you really want to marry me?"

Chris nodded with a sweet smile, and fun sparkled in his eyes. "You want to know how much?" he asked. The other man nodded, curious. Chris let go of his lover and sunk down onto one knee, taking Darren's right hand into his own. "Darren Everett Criss," he said slowly, tugging his signet ring off of his fingers and holding it up with his left hand.

Darren's eyes welled with tears again, and he bit his lower lip to hide back his grin. "Will you do me the honour of marrying me?" Chris asked quietly, holding Darren's hand with shakes running through his body. He knew it was already confirmed - it was Darren's idea, but the significance of the moment... it rendered him breathless.

Darren nodded shakily, tears rolling down his cheeks once more. "Yes. Yes, Chris, I will marry you," he choked out. The brunette's face broke into a smile, and slid his signet ring onto his fiance's engagement ring finger. Darren pulled him up and kissed him, ferociously and passionately. "Thank you," he whispered against his lips as they drew apart. Chris rested their foreheads together, short of breath.

"I love you," was his simple reply.

"I love you, too." He smiled and lay down, pulling his fiance down beside him. "Sleep now?" he asked in a whisper. Chris nuzzled his cheek against Darren's chest, and hummed his approval. He pulled the blankets up to just under his chin, feeling safer in Darren's arms than he had in many, many months.

-

They awoke to the murmurs of a soft conversation. They immediately recognized Ryan's voice, and Chuck's, but there was a third that sounded stuffy and formal. "I think he's a fit mental state to make his own decision," Ryan said quietly.

"Agreed," said Chuck. "Darren's... hurting, but he's sane. He's not psychotic, he's not hallucinating or hurting people."

"Well then," the third voice said. "Please sign here, Mister Murphy, and you here, Mister Criss." There was the sound of pen scratching against paper. "Would you like to wake them? Tell them that they're discharged?"

"Darren's already awake," Chuck said with a small laugh. "He's been listening for a minute or so, now."

"Bugger you," Darren grumbled, helping his lover sit up before sitting up himself. Chris yawned and buried his face back in Darren's shoulder.

"Bugger _off_," was his suggestion.

"Aren't they charming in the morning?" Chuck enquired of Ryan, who smiled and nodded.

"You've been discharged, sweethearts," he said, standing and walking to Chris' side. "I declare you in fit mental state." He grinned, and Chris looked up shyly. He looked nervous, shaking a little, but he still smiled back. "You've gotten so shy."

"I'm sorry, I'm just... I'm nervous. I love you, Ryan, and I love the others, too, but Darren's _safe_, I know him inside out and upside down... and everyone else is... uncertain."

"It's fine, little one. You take your time, and don't push yourself into talking to people. Darren's company enough." He laughed a little, and Chris smiled more brightly.

"Thank you for proclaiming me as sane."

"Yeah, and thanks to you, Chuck." Darren pulled his brother in for a hug before swinging himself out of the bed. Chris fell and bumped his head against the wall.

"Darren!" he yelled, sitting up and grumbling curses. "I'd say that I hate you, but..." Darren helped his fiance stand and kissed his head with an apologetic look, and a guilty frown. Chris slipped their lips together in a silent forgiveness. They got lost in the kiss, Darren's hand cupping his cheek.

No-one dared interrupt, but they still pulled away with quiet apologies and faint blushes. "You're engaged," Chuck said. It wasn't a question - just a truth.

Darren nodded. "Yes."

"Congratulations," the elder two men in the room said in unison. "You'll be going to..?"

"New York."

"When?"

"We don't know yet," Chris said, one hand on Darren's back, the other on his chest. "We just... needed the promise."

There was a long, heavy silence. "Well then."

"We need to... we're going to need to go to our respective houses, get our stuff..."

"I don't want to go back to my place..."

"Neither do I, but we need to get our stuff... we can move out soon, baby," Chris said gently. "I'll go in and pack up your stuff for you, we only need so much..."

"Your houses... your houses were sold, boys, the rent wasn't paid for months, everyone thought you were dead."

"I have all your important stuff, little brother," Chuck said. "And... I think Lea and Ashleigh have your most treasured things, Chris..."

"I'm sorry," Ryan continued.

Chris and Darren looked conflicted, but still nodded. "It's fine," Darren said at last. "Can we..."

Chris shook his head up at Darren. "We'll get a motel room, baby. It's not right. We'll wake up screaming, we'll 'need' each other..." Darren nodded and kissed the side of his head. "We'll get a house as soon as possible. We can buy new things, it doesn't matter..."

"We have your mobiles and wallets. They were left... they were left at my office," Ryan said with a deep frown.

"I got a text. Just before..." Darren coughed. "I want to know what it said..."

"It was from me," Chris whispered. "'I'll never hug you again,' text, right? I said... something along the lines of, 'Are you okay, Ariel? I'll be there soon, just keep calm. Love you. I'll always be here for you, okay?'"

Darren kissed him gently. "Thank you," he whispered back. "Let's go from here, okay? We'll go to the bank, and get some money out... get a motel and start looking for houses."

Chris nodded, completely silent. He pulled him into a hug, and buried his face in Darren's shoulder.

"You two need to work on this thing where whenever you're touching, it feels like every one else is invading on some intimate moment," Chuck told them with a pout.

"Sorry," Chris whispered with a smile to the man. He withdrew from Darren's hold. "Let's go face the world, Darren."

The man took in a deep breath. "Okay."


	23. Chapter 22

**Well then. This is the last _chapter_ of 'The Beautiful Ones.' I am currently writing an epilogue, which is set a long time later. So, enjoy. :) **

That day, they went to the bank, as they said they would, and hired Chuck, Mia, Lea, Ashleigh, and Chord to help them re-humanize themselves. They got a full suite at some fancy four star motel, before their company took them out into the streets of L.A. to go shopping for new clothing, more importantly food, and, finally... well, the company had nothing to do with the last item on their checklist. While the group thought that they had snuck off for a 'quickie,' they in fact snuck off to buy their formal engagement rings. Chris ended up with a thin silver band with one small diamond perched in a twisted metal cup. Darren had a thicker silver ring, with a small trail of diamonds traveling diagonally down to the right.

They were very giggly the whole time when they got back. They took joy in the perfection of their romance at that moment. Back with their group, they had a slightly more difficult time. Although they had chosen a secluded cafe, the fans, whatever they be of, still found them.

"_Mister Criss! Mister Colfer!"_ one girl shouted. Another man simply screamed. Soon an entire group was gathered around them. Darren and Chris were closed in by their friends, but it didn't stop them hearing the screams for _Kurt_ and _Blaine._ Of course some people only wanted to know if all the rumours about them were true, but 'Klaine' had more of a following than the two actors did.

The group signed as many autographs as possible, still hiding Darren and Chris, but Chord called the police as soon as people started to grab at them, and as soon as the sirens were heard, people scattered - not without leaving the group many bruises, of course.

Chris and Darren clung to each other, both terrified and slightly tearful as the voices of Kurt and Blaine spoke to them. When they finally spoke, it was in Kurt and Blaine's voices, with their mannerisms. That was when they realized, in all truth, that they would _never_ have normal lives - never. Not with Kurt and Blaine haunting their pasts.

* * *

That night they made love in their motel room, hands shaking over each others' bodies as they tried to reconnect with themselves. That was the first time that _Chris_ made love to _Darren._ It almost signified a new chapter of their life being opened, with something new and precious.

They expelled Kurt and Blaine from their minds once more. They felt pure, and loved, and perfect, just for a few moments.

* * *

A month later they found their perfect home - it was on the outskirts of New York, in a very secluded neighbourhood. Their house wasn't huge - it was modest, really, but it had a spare bedroom, and a spare room for each of them - one for music, one for writing. It was almost purely wood and stone, with a colour scheme of deep red, gold and pale brown. It was warm - it was safe.

"When are we going to get married?" Darren asked curiously as he spoon-fed his lover soup, and vice versa. Chris put his spoon down with a considerate look on his face.

"Maybe... when I've finished my book," he said. "I need to get all of this-" he indicated his arm, and shuddered at the thoughts of what it represented. "-out of my system."

"And when I've finished the score for our play," Darren said with a nod. "Maybe it will work. Maybe all this will help us heal."

"Or maybe it will just make us worse," Chris replied quietly. He looked down at his soup and began to play with the end of the spoon.

"Don't think like that," Darren whispered. He stood and walked to Chris' side, sitting, putting an arm around his waist and kissing his cheek quickly. "It's been helping, right? You've been writing everything down, crying, and been feeling... cleansed, right?" Chris nodded a little, eyes down-cast. "So it's working." Darren smiled and pecked his lips. "Smile for me, sweetie?" The brunette smiled and bit the inside of his lip.

"Love you," he whispered.

"I love you, too,"said Darren, kissing him again before going back to spoon-feeding him.

* * *

"But please believe me: you're beautiful, and I just can't believe you're not invincible..." Darren sang quietly, fingering out a tune on his new guitar. Chris was leaning against his back, face turned up towards the sun.

"Thank you, baby..." he murmured, gripping Darren's hand as it came to rest on the grass. Darren hummed, content, and they rested in the silence and sunlight for several minutes. "I'm scared of seeing mum and dad... and Hannah and Christina," Christopher told his fiance.

"Why?"

"Because... they haven't asked to see me since we... and they just... I have another sister now, and they named her after _us_, as if we were dead... I mean, how could they? They could have waited for the birth before naming her, but no... she's going to be burdened forever, knowing what her name really represents. It won't be 'big brother and big brother in law' it will be 'two dead boys.' Because... that's what they meant it to be."

Darren let go of Chris' hand, and put down his guitar. He crawled around and into his lover's lap, putting both arms around his neck. "They wanted to... have something to remember us by."

"They should remember us anyway! I'm their child, you're their friend!" Chris exclaimed.

"Sh, sh, I know..." The elder man stroked his hands through the younger's hair. "But you know what I mean... they wanted to... honour us, I suppose. They meant well... they didn't think... even I didn't think... we weren't coming back, baby..." Chris flinched. "You thought it, too, Chris. You didn't know if we were coming back, either..." Somewhere, mid-sentence, the young brunette had started to cry. He rested his head in the crook of Darren's shoulder, utterly silent. "Hey... they love you, Chris. They wouldn't have named her 'Christina' if they didn't. They wouldn't be your _parents_ if they didn't." Chris nodded. "You wanna go see them?" Chris stilled, then nodded again. "Let's go, then." Darren smiled and kissed the side of his lover's head.

* * *

"You ready?" Darren asked, squeezing Chris' hand and running his thumb over the back of his knuckles. He turned so they were face-to-face, and cupped his face in his hands.

"As I'll ever be." Chris shot him a small smile, and they shared an even smaller kiss. Darren let go of him, and stepped up onto the doorstep, as they had arranged. He rang the doorbell, and tried to relax. He had more than just 'meeting the parents' to worry about. A flushed Karyn Colfer immediately answered the door, a baby, Christina, in her arms.

"Can I help you-?" She finally looked away from her child, and her eyes went impossibly wide as she took in the fact that a boy she had once dismissed as deceased was standing on her doorstep.

"Hello, Misses Colfer. I'm Darren Criss. I'm your son's fiance." Darren kept his expression friendly, as Chris came up to his side and took his hand.

Karyn almost dropped Christina.

"Mummy," the brunette whispered. He reached out a tentative hand, almost touching his little sister. He looked to his mother for permission, and she nodded, silent. Christopher touched Christina's hand with reverence, and she gargled a little before taking one of his fingers into her hand.

He bit his lower lip, and felt tears stinging in his eyes. "Hey, cutie," he murmured. "I'm Christopher. I'm your big brother... mum... can I hold her?"

Karyn shook her head. "N-not yet. I'm sorry. Come in, both of you, before someone recognizes you." She stepped back and ushered them inside.

It was immensely awkward, coming back into Chris' childhood home, just because it had changed so much. It was fully equipped not only for Hannah's needs, but Christina's, too. All the family photos had been moved around - there was only one left of Chris, and it was... rather significant. It was seated on top of the television - almost like a memorial.

"I've missed you," Chris said after a long silence.

"Honey, who i- Christopher." Tim Colfer's face split into a smile, and he began to cry. His wife broke, at that, and tears streamed down her cheeks. She sat down on the couch, cradling her baby to her chest. "Chris. Little Chris..."

"I'm not the little 'Chris,' any more, it seems," Chris teased as his father engulfed him in a hug. Tim clung to his child, point-blank refusing to let him go. "Why didn't you contact me?" he whispered into his shoulder.

"I... I wanted to call, I wanted to see you, I just didn't know how I _could._ Oh god, Chris... you have no idea..."

"I have _every_ idea, dad." Christopher drew back and nodded, pursing his lips together and nibbling the inside of his lower lip. "Can... my mouth's dry. Do... mango juice?"

"You know Christina and I live off of the stuff? I'll go get some for you. Both of you, make yourselves back at home," Tim ordered. He pulled Darren into a hug. "Thank you," he whispered into his hair. "For being there for him."

Chris seated himself next to his mother, and indicated for Darren to join him. They linked hands, and moved in for a kiss, but pulled back. "Mama? Please say something."

Karyn thought for a few moments. "I... I was so scared, Chris. I was terrified, I was losing weight, getting sick... I wasn't there for Hannah any more, not properly. So I... I convinced myself you were gone. That you weren't coming back, and that you were just a memory to treasure," she said. "I'm so sorry, baby," she choked out. "I let go, I let go of you, and I couldn't... I couldn't... shouldn't have let you go. Never should a mother let their child go. But I did, and I just feel so scared, and so ashamed, and so relieved, and I just don't know what to say."

Chris looked up at her and smiled shakily. "How about... I introduce you to my fiance?" he suggested. It was a silent murmur of 'I forgive you.' "Mum, this is Darren Criss. We've been together for almost seven months, and we've been engaged for almost three. Baby, this is my mother, Karyn Colfer." Darren let out a melodic laugh and stood, only to kneel in front of the woman. He offered his hand to her, and she settled Christina is one arm before taking it.

"A pleasure to meet you, ma'am," said Darren, and looked to Christina. "And it's a pleasure to meet you, too, young lady. You are the cutest thing in the whole world," he said playfully. His whole demeanor lightened the mood, and Karyn, with a smile, offered her daughter to him. He grinned like a child offered a new toy (with a lot more grace) and took the child, cradling her against his chest as the gargled away in her sleep.

"It's so nice to meet you, Darren... albeit under... awful circumstances. I'm so sorry for what happened to y-"

Chris shook his head. "Don't," he ordered. "Just... let's... not forget, but not talk about. It's in the past, we're recovering, we need to not put any more energy into it." He sighed. "Mum... can you hug me, please?"

"Of course, baby boy." She turned, taking her eyes off of her youngest child to take in the sight of her eldest. "Oh god. I've missed you. I've missed your smile... your stupid smile..." She tugged him into her arms, and he began to cry again.

"Mummy," he whispered.

"Darren, sweetheart, would you go talk to Tim in the kitchen for a few minutes, please?" she asked.

Darren and Chris shared a look, and they both nodded. "O-okay," Darren whispered. He stood, careful, with the baby in his arms. "Which room-?"

"Just follow me, Darren," Tim said from the doorway. He rest a glass of mango juice on a bookshelf, and indicated for Darren to come with him.

The two men shared a smile as they sat down in the kitchen. "So... when are you planning on getting married?" Tim asked after a long silence. Darren stroked the very thin layer of hair on Christina's head, and hummed in contemplation.

"We're not sure yet... before mid-way through next year, definitely. I'm... I'm taking the Colfer name, if you and your wife don't obj-" The sound of Chris' harsh sobs cut him off. He flinched violently, resisting all of his urges to run to his lover. "If you don't object..." he whispered.

"There's nothing to object to," Tim assured him with a small smile. "I suppose it makes sense. We couldn't have a Christopher Paul Criss now, could we?"

Darren laughed a little, eyes downcast. "It's more than that, though... I wanted... sometimes Chris will just... hide himself away, and I just... need a reassurance that I've got part of him. Always and forever, type of thing. "I mean, my engagement ring, and my trust in him are always going to be there, but taking his name is just... symbolic for us really being together. Really being a family."

"Hm. I'd say just the way he looks at you is confirmation of all that, son," Tim told him. "But you two are planning on having children?"

Chris was still sobbing. "We want to adopt... probably only two kids, hopefully from the same family. We'll take whoever we love, though... and whoever loves us. We're going to be open with our kids about... how we are now, and why. We need to be."

"When are you adopting? You don't seem..." Tim indicated the next room with a deep sigh. "Ready."

"It's a long way off, we know. But it's something we... really look forward to. We want kids, sir... I love kids, and Chris loves nurturing things. It's... we want to take in kids who have been abused, because once we've recovered, we'll be able to help them recover, too." Darren toyed with his ring and shook as Chris sobbed in the living room. "Can I... do you mind if I go to him?"

"You should let him cry it out," Tim suggested.

"I can't," Darren whispered. "Too many tears have come and gone and I'm the only one who can help him deal with those feelings."

"And that's what's wrong with your relationship. You're completely reliant, but only on each other. Karyn's helping him, he'll be okay. You need to learn to trust that he can be safe, and protected, and comforted with other people," Tim said quietly. "It's your choice whether you acknowledge that or not, but I'd suggest it. You want a healthy relationship, right?"

"Right... I just... I can't bear to have him hurt while I can help him."

"His _mother_ can help him, too." Christina awoke with a cry. "It's meal time - I'll get her milk." Tim smiled at Darren, who gave him a small smile in return, his hand occupied with distracting the baby in his arms.

* * *

Darren and Chris left very late that night , with small smiles on their lips and full stomachs. "That wasn't so bad now, was it?" Darren teased quietly, putting an arm around his fiance and kissing his cheek as the cab driver started the engine.

"N-no," Chris admitted. "It wasn't. Baby..." He tried to get a more verbose way of portraying his thoughts.

"I want a surrogate-born child," Darren said. "I still want us to adopt, but I want... I want a _baby_, that's nothing but _ours_."

Chris nodded and buried his face in his lover's throat. "I know," he whispered. "But let's... let's talk about it when we get to it, okay? Right now, I just need my fiance to hold me. Is that okay?"

"That's _always_ okay," Darren whispered into his hair. He kissed his head and pulled him closer. "I love you."

"I love you, too." They smiled at each other, just a soft smile, but it was a smile - a pure, unmarred smile.


	24. Epilogue

Chris rest back against his husband, watching Sarah fumble with her guitar. "Move your first finger up a string, sweetie," Darren said, leaning back to rest his head on Chris' shoulder. He gave him a quick kiss, and drew a laugh from his lips. "Okay, down strum, up, up, down, up, quiver, down."

She smiled at him and nodded her thanks.

She was a pretty girl - long red hair and soft grey eyes, with a round, soft face. She was just fifteen, but she looked much younger. She looked like a thirteen year-old, female Chris, actually. Chris smiled at that thought.

"Do you feel like singing, Sar? Or do you want me to?" Darren asked, sitting up straight and coming to her side in front of Chris.

"You, papa," she whispered, taking his hand and pulling him down to the grass. "E minor..." She moved her little fingers, smiling and biting the inside of her lip. "C add nine... G... D over F sharp!" She was very quiet, even at her most excited. When they had first adopted her, she was completely mute, but with time, three years, to be precise, she had learned to speak, feeling safe and secure knowing that she wouldn't be hit.

"And what about you, Chrissie? Up for playing your drums?" The little brunette girl nodded, and squealed excitedly, hopping up from Christopher's side, with her and-drums clutched to her stomach. "You remember the pattern?"

"Yes, big brother!" she chirped. Christina was a pretty girl, too. She was tall for her six years, with a cherubic face and shining glasz eyes. Her hair was cropped into a pixie cut, and her bright pink glasses accented the pink of her cheeks.

Darren let out a laugh, and put an arm around each of 'his girls.' "Okay. You ready?" The both nodded. "One, two, one two three four." Christina began to beat her little drums. She fumbled a little, but Darren held his daughter back for a bar so that his sister-in-law could re-master the pattern. Sarah strummed her guitar with a smile on her lips, and stared into her baby brother's eyes as he began to cry. "You're just a small bump unborn, in four months you're brought to life..." Darren sang. He, too, held Jason's gaze. The eight-month old boy stopped crying, favouring clinging to his father's fingers.

Chris stroked Jason's near-hairless head, and cradled him to his chest, a soft smile on his face. "Might be left with my hair, but you'll have your father's eyes," Chris sang with Darren, eyes lighting up as they looked at one another. "I'll hold your body in my hands - be as gentle as I can, but for now you're scared of my unmade plans... you're just a small bump, and in four months, you're brought to life..."

Darren and Chris sang to their children and sister with looks of immense love and fondness in their eyes. This was a common occurrence in their little family - as they taught Sarah and Christina how to play and read music, they would perform together, and for each other. At first, all the talking that Sarah had done was through singing - now, though, she could really _sing_. Her voice was angelic, as was proved when she joined her fathers for the chorus.

Somewhere midway through the song, Darren took his child from Chris' arms, and settled himself in his husband's lap. They shared a light kiss as Sarah made her way through a very brief solo. Christina was giggling the whole time, watching her brother and brother-in-law with those wide eyes of hers. "Dare-bear," she said through her giggles as Sarah stopped strumming. "I wanna learn one of _your_ songs."

Darren was brought out of his love-induced stupor, grin on his lips. "Which one, honey?" he asked, maneuvering himself and Jason around so he could pass the baby back to his husband.

"I dunno."

"'_Don't_ know,' young lady," Chris said with a teasing smile and a wink. She stuck her tongue out at him, and he blew her a kiss.

"I want to learn 'Not Alone,'" Sarah said quietly. "Because that's how you two have always made me feel - like I'm not alone." Chris smiled brightly as Darren took the guitar from their daughter, and he pulled her into a one-armed hug. Jason gargled happily, and curled up around himself in Chris' arm.

"You, my dear girl, are one of four of the best things to ever happen to us," he told her as she put her arms around his neck.

"You and dad are _the_ best things to ever happen to me," she whispered, eyes misting up. This happened, occasionally. She would go into a state in which she couldn't believe she wasn't dreaming. "What are the other three things?" She withdrew from the hug, and looked up at her other father.

"Each other," Darren said, resting the guitar against a tree and sat down. He pulled Christina into his lap.

"Chrissie," Christopher said.

"And Jason," Darren finished. Christina just giggled and turned in Darren's arms to hug him tightly.

"I love you, Dare-bear," she told him.

"Aw, I love you, too, Christina." He kissed the top of her head with a smile. "You want to go get your keyboard? I'll teach you girls 'Not Alone.'" She squealed happily and shot up out of his arms and back into the house. "Ah, to be young again," Darren teased.

"Oh, shut up, you dork," Chris ordered, just as Jason began to cry. "Sh, baby, it's okay," he cooed immediately, standing. "I'm putting Jase to bed. And I think..." He stood with a small smile, and indicated for Darren to join him. He pressed a gentle kiss to his lips as Darren's arm curled around his waist. Sarah closed her eyes and took her guitar back, fingering out 'Hedwig's Theme,' not even peeking. "I think I just figured out how to end my book."

Darren's eyebrows shot up, and he kissed Chris' temple. "Oh? After all this time?"

"Oh, indeed." Jason began to wail, and Chris went back to cooing for him. "I'll be back in a second, love." They shared one more kiss as Christina came barreling out of the house, miniature keyboard in hand.

Chris slunk back inside and lay their child down to sleep, before finding his notebook and pen. When he came back out into their backyard, Darren was showing Sarah the finger positions for his song, and explaining the piano keys to Christina. He was made to be a father, he truly was. So, as his family played and sang together, Chris wrote. He would always write - whenever a thought came to mind that was even remotely interesting, he would write it down, and this was far more than remotely interesting. This wasn't about his children, or his little sisters. This was about the love of his life. The love of his life, and himself. That was what made it so different from all the other things he had written - that's what made it so special.

_Darren Criss was beautiful. That much was obvious._

Chris Colfer was beautiful. That, too, was obvious.

Darren Criss was flawed. That was obvious.

Chris Colfer was flawed. That, too, was obvious.

When a person takes two beautiful things and puts them together, what can you expect but a creature of even more beauty than the two original creators? Those were the thoughts running through their heads, but on the other hand the thought 'when you take two flawed things and put them together, what can you expect but a disaster?' appeared.

Of course... they were a disaster. They were an utter disaster - everyone knew that. Everything was wrong with them. On the other hand, however, they were the image of perfection, of beauty. Everything was _right_ with them. The difference here was that, as individuals, they were disasters. They were flawed, and scarred creatures that could not live on their own. Together, however? They were that beautiful creature - the one that could create beauty, spread hope, and spread new life into the world. They would, however, be nothing if it were not for the _love_. The love of each other, of themselves, of those around them, of music, of _things_. Mainly, though, it was the love of each other. That was what was so perfect - that was what was so beautiful.

As soon as Darren got to his feet, Chris dropped his notebook, completely losing his train of thought. He got to his feet, too. "Oi, Darren!" he called, playful as a child. Darren stepped away from the two children, out into the sunlight.

"Oi, Chris!" the elder man mocked, just as playful. Chris ran at him and tackled him over into the grass.

"Hey, hey, Darren," he said quickly, trapping the man beneath him. Darren chuckled and bumped their foreheads together.

"What is it _this_ time?" he teased.

Chris nuzzled their noses together and pecked his husband's lips. "Hey, Darren. I love you." The other man raised his eyebrows and hummed.

"Oh really-" He pressed their lips together. "-now?" Chris giggled, and they kissed once more. "I love you, too," he admitted. "Have I ever told you... that out of everyone I know... you are the most-" Another kiss. "-beautiful of them all?"

Chris frowned, then. 'TheBeautifulOnes.' Well, that hadn't been a thought to cross his mind for some time. Then he smiled as a very _pleasant_ thought crossed his mind. "Well, you are the most beautiful person of all those that I know," he said in between little pecks of kisses. "We must be... the beautiful ones."

Darren raised his eyebrows again, and moved to speak, but Sarah got to it before he did. "Dad, I need help! You and papa are gross, by the way!" she called. The fact that she was shouting proved how happy she was. Chris sighed and released his husband with one final kiss.

"_You're_ gross," Darren told his daughter as he brushed himself off. "Nah, you're not. You're adorable. What's up, Sar-bear?"

"I don't know this chord..." Chris zoned out a little, then, just staring up at the sun. He didn't need his notebook to write. He could write perfectly well, just in his head. Now, he had _said_ that he had an ending for his book, but he wasn't sure, then. He was sure, now.

_ It was the love that kept them going. Not the air, not food, not water, not intelligence or need. It was the love that kept them going - because they were everything. No matter how flawed they were as individuals, (and my, were they flawed) together, they were perfect - together, they were the beautiful ones._

THE END.


End file.
